Police gear up to police Elections 2008

Accra, March 19, GNA - Senior Police officers on Wednesday ended a three-day trainers of trainees seminar on pre-election monitoring, which aimed at stepping up efforts to police Elections 2008. The officers were schooled on democracy, elections and human rights; electoral laws and electoral offences; role of security agencies and civil society in elections; handling the media and managing conflicts in elections.

Addressing the officers, Mr. Patrick K. Acheampong, Inspector General of Police, assured the electoral stakeholders that the police would discharge their duties before, during and after the elections with high sense of professionalism.

He said: "We would be fair, neutral and collaborate with all politicians, irrespective of their ideological persuasion, within the ambit of the 1992 Constitution, the electoral laws and internationally acceptable norms for election observations and policing.

"We have gone through these experiences in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections, and other local government elections over the years, and we are confident that our officers and men are capable of policing Election 2008 to ensure that Ghana remains united after the polls." Mr. Acheampong said the seminar sponsored by the British High Commission in Accra was a wake-up programme intended to ensure that the rank and file of the police service and other allied agencies were well-tuned for the crucial elections.

The IGP reminded police personnel that they needed to be more patient, tolerant and establish trust among all stakeholders to ensure that they performed their task effectively.

Mr. Acheampong noted that the growing agitation for the deepening of democratic governance across Africa had in recent times brought to the fore the urgent need to ensure that the police maintained a high sense of professionalism during this year's elections.

He said they would adopt democratic policing framework within which the specific structures of a police force and its operational strategies may vary, even as they adhered to basic principles.

"We will continue to conduct ourselves in a way compatible with a democratic constitutional regime, through the appropriate guidance and support from the general public and other administrative mechanisms that ensure adherence by police officers to democratic principles."

He also called for collaboration with the media, noting that, "strengthening of mutual relationship among the two bodies would help promote and project the police service, reduce crime and suspicion". Ms. Rosie Tapper, Second Secretary at the British High Commission, noted that the eye of the international community was currently focused on Ghana as the country gradually warmed up to the December polls.