We’ll be “resolute, objective” in election 2016 – Police

The Ghana Police Service has served notice it will ensure the highest standard of professionalism next year as the country prepares for a crucial parliamentary and presidential elections.

The oil-producing West African country will be heading to the polls for the seventh time under the Fourth Republic to elect Members of Parliament and a new president.

Stakes are high as incumbent president John Dramani Mahama eyes a second term and hopes to avoid becoming the first one-term leader under the Republic while opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo is looking forward to avoid three-straight defeats, having lost in 2008 to the late Evans Atta Mills and again in 2012 to Mahama.

The Greater Accra regional police command said it is going to be “resolute” in the discharge of its duties and will engage all stakeholders to ensure a “peaceful” election.

“The police shall continue to ensure that there is law and order – before, during and after the elections,” the new regional commander COP Dr. George Dampare told the media on Tuesday.

He added: “I want to take this opportunity to assure all that the regional police command will be resolute, objective and professional in the discharge of our duties throughout the entire election periods and beyond.”

According to COP Dampare, the regional command is in the process of finalizing its security arrangement for the whole of the election process, adding “We shall use the whole of January 2016 to engage all stakeholders including all political parties, the electoral commission, religious bodies, civil society organisations, the media to get their input into our overall regional security plan.”

“I must also say that the engagement process with these stakeholders shall be a dynamic one such that at a point that we prepare the plan if in the course of time anything of significance has come that bothers on security that needs to come to our attention that continues engagement with stakeholders, we’ll bring it to bear to modify our plan to ensure that we are able to deliver a peaceful and secured environment for the whole election process to go on smoothly.

“The police will do whatever it takes to ensure that the peace of our country is not compromised before, during and after the elections,” the commander added.