‘We Didn’t Form Election Security Taskforce’ – Accra Regional Commander
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The Greater Accra Regional commander, DCOP Patrick Adusei Sarpong has said that, the Ghana Police Service did not form an election taskforce to oversee electoral happenings during the Ayawaso West Wuogon polls.
According to him, though the ideal situation in a national election is for the security agency to form an election taskforce, same is not required in a by-electoral process.
He explained that ample time is required to structure such formations; by-elections however he continued, come up at very short intervals and hence are not factored as far as creation of taskforces are concerned.
“For general elections, national security elections taskforce is formed, regional one is formed and district is also formed but it is not same for the by-elections because for the national elections, it is planned and everybody knows that time that the national elections will be held so meetings are held several times and preparations are put in place but it is not the case in by-elections”.
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“Because they come at a time nobody expects and when they come, it is incumbent on the regional Commander, together with the electoral officers to quickly plan how the elections should be conducted”, he said.
DCOP Adusei Sarpong further indicated that a total of 761 security personnel were deployed by the police service on the said day for electoral purposes. The number comprising both police and immigration service personnel whom they wrote to for assistance.
“We made a request to the Immigration, they agreed to assist, and deploy personnel to us and we deployed them together with the police men”.
“In all we deployed 428 police personnel as well as 341 immigration personnel, total, 761. Combined force of the police and immigration”, he added.
