The Ghana Police Service has deployed 147 officers for peacekeeping duties in Somalia under a special arrangement with the African Union Peacekeeping Mission (AMISOM).
Drawn from the Formed Police Unit (FPU), the personnel will be assisting local police in the Horn of Africa to maintain peace and order.
The Director, International Relations Department, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Baba Saanid Adamu, whilst briefing the officers before their departure, advised them to remain professional in their peacekeeping duties.
The team arrived in Somalia on 2 November 2020.
Election readiness
At least 62,794 security personnel will be deployed to police the 7 December presidential and parliamentary elections, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, on Wednesday disclosed.
They will be drawn from the Ghana Police Service, Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Prisons Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Armed Forces.
Addressing journalists on the readiness of the police ahead of the polls at a news conference, the IGP said the service is committed to fighting crime and to ensuring peace ahead of the elections.
“All the personnel that I have mentioned will be in their regular uniforms with the exception of personnel from the criminal investigation department and of the police service and Bureau of National Investigation, who will remain invisible,” he said.
“We will adopt a four-tier approach of policing the ballot at all the over 33, 367 polling stations revised recently to 40,000 and 275 collation centres, while patrol and standby forces will be on the standby when the need arise.”
Special armlet for personnel
According to him, a special armlet will be worn by security personnel for the purpose of easy identification.
The IGP assured that all the necessary logistics have been deployed to ensure peace in the run-up to the polls.
“I have visited all the 16 regions to see for myself the readiness of the police to lead other sister agencies for the task ahead and I am satisfied that we are ready, the few gaps that remain have been filled and a few remain, but will be filled on election day,” he added.
He also revealed that no motorbike will be allowed close to 100 metres from a polling station in the 7 December elections.
“I don’t want to say that, that day people should not use bikes at all, but at least about 100 metres from the polling station, you cannot bring a motorbike so that is the guidance, if you come they will prevent you from coming closer, the reason is that most people who want to snatch ballot box use motorbikes,” the police chief stated.
By Fred Dzakpata
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