December 7 Polls: Be professional – IGP charges officers

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, has warned police officers to desist from taking sides in politics especially as the country approaches a major election on December 7.

He noted that the men in uniform are not supposed to help any political party to win an election.

Therefore, the officers should desist from actions and inaction that suggest that they belong to one side, he said.

Mr. Oppong-Boanuh said this in Koforidua when he was assessing the operational readiness of the police in the Eastern Region.

“We are not supposed to support any political party. No party needs our support to win an election [so] I urge all of you to be very professional in your work.”

He further warned that the Ghana Police Service will use the law to deal with any person or group who foments trouble during the electioneering period.

A simulation exercise was conducted at the forecourt of the Eastern Regional Police Command to test the readiness of personnel and effectiveness for the December polls.

The police in the Eastern Region exhibited their preparedness in varied fields.

Ammunitions, vehicles, among others, on standby, to respond to electoral violence were displayed.

The police are poised to deal with identified flashpoints using different methods of policing, the IGP said.

The IGP was emphatic the law will catch up with persons found culpable of electoral violence while cautioning his men to be non-partisan and non-bias in the discharge of their duties.

He appealed to the chiefs in the Region to urge the youth not to be used as agents for violence.