We’ve put measures in place for peaceful elections, say police

The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has put rigid measures in place to ensure a secure environment for the forthcoming general elections.

It includes the setting up of an election security secretariat to oversee, plan, and execute election-related matters.

With other security agencies, they would ensure the elections took place without any security breaches.

The director general of ICT at the Police Headquarters, Commissioner of Police (COP) Iddi Lansah Seidu, disclosed this at the passing out of 29 graduates and 159 general recruits at the Regional Police Training School in Ho last Wednesday.

Seidu reminded the new police personnel that they were passing out in an election year and cautioned them to enforce the laws governing the elections fairly, with utmost respect for the citizens’ rights.

“You are to treat them with respect, exhibit a high sense of professionalism, and live law-abiding lives for others to emulate.

Always remember that policing is about service, sacrifice, and selflessness,” he told the new officers.

Changing trends

He said the world was witnessing a changing phase of security, characterised by complex and cyber-related crimes and changes in the modus operandi of criminals.

That, he pointed out, placed a huge demand on the personnel of the GPS to deliver services that were more diverse, complex, skilled and specialised to deal with current trends in crime.

Seidu said that to position the service to address the security needs of the public, a new training module that blended theory with field practicals and simulation exercises had been developed.

“Now, the focus is on field training activities such as riding, driving, swimming, crowd control and incident and disaster management,” he added.

He said almost 7,000 new police personnel had benefited from the new training module.

Fresh officers

He urged the fresh officers to exhibit high standards in maintaining law, order and security in the country.