2020 polls: Police won’t be biased – IGP

The Inspector-General of Police James Oppong Boanuh has given the assurance the Police will be fair and firm as Ghana prepares to vote in December to elect a President and Parliamentarians.

He is, therefore, urging political parties and Ghanaians seeking to demonstrate before or during the polls to do so within the law.

He said the Police administration will put before court organizers of demonstration who go contrary to agreed routes and foment troubles to help maintain peace before, during and after the 2020 election.

“We know that citizens have rights but the rights must be exercised in accordance with the law. Therefore you have the right to demonstrate but you don’t have the right to block the road so that other road users cannot use it. That is why we sit down with organizers of demonstration to map up routes therefore if we give you route ” A” we expect that you follow route A if you decide to use route “B” and create a problem we will make sure we meet you in Court”.

The IGP said this at Akropong-Akuapem in the Eastern Region when he joined The Church of Pentecost to commission the Akropong District Police Headquarters and Police Station edifice constructed by the Church at the cost of Ghc516,000.

“As we enter election year, let me assure Ghanaians, that we the officers and men of the Ghana Police Service, and with the collaboration with our sister security organizations, we will do everything possible to ensure that our duties are performed in a way that does not favour anybody. We will be very fair and firm in the performance of our duty”.

He added “Let me also repeat that, any group of persons or any person intending to foment trouble before, during or after the election should think twice because we will be ready for them”.

James Oppong Boanuh commended the leadership of the Church of Pentecost for the immense support the Church continue to provide to the Ghana Police Service, citing an aambulance recently donated to the service by the Church

Sod-cutting for the one storey building facility was performed by the Church joined by then IGP David Asante Apeatu on April 26, 2019. The construction started in June,2019. The Project was redesigned and upgraded to District Headquarters status from initial plan of a station following an appeal by the IGP.

The General Secretary of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi Larbi Jnr who spoke on behalf of the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost Apostle Eric Nyamekye at the commissioning said the project is part of three district police stations, five correctional centres among others the Church is constructing under its Security-Based development project dubbed “Police Station & Post Project (PSPP) as captured in Vision 2023 Policy Document of the Church.

He called for intensed collective efforts to fight corruption in the country.

The Eastern Regional Minister Eric Kwakye Darfuor said though government is committed to providing logistics to the Security services,it is imperative for other organizations to also complement government efforts to ensure that challenges facing the Police service are addressed to maximize efficiency.