IGP must ensure police imposters in Assin North are prosecuted - Security policy expert

A security policy expert at the Center for Security Dialogue and Peace Advocacy (CSDPA), Anthony Acquaye, has called on the Inspector General Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, to ensure that individuals who impersonated police officers during the Assin North by-election must be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent for others ahead of the 2024 general election.

This, he said in a statement dated June 29, 2023.

According to the statement, the IGP's commitment to ensuring peace in the by-election led to the deployment of new strategies to ensure that the police take charge of the security of all 99 polling stations in the constituency instead of the political parties.

“It is important to acknowledge the fact that, the security strategic measures such as the band on the use of firearms at or around the polling stations, the tactical worn of police body cameras and the pre-election shared security activities such as the community engagement and health screening implemented in Assin North by-election to occasion a successful and peaceful by-election never came out of a vacuum but rather through determination, commitment and above all the unbiased actions by officers on the grounds coupled with the self-confident and garner credibility of the Inspector General of Police to empower his senior officers to take in charge of all the 99 polling stations in the constituency,” parts of the statement read.

However, the expert Anthony Acquaye, added that the IGP must implement strict measures to deal with the imposters to prevent the repetition of such crimes in the 2024 general election.

“Prevention as they say is better than cure, for this reason am calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare to as a matter of fact, ensure that, those persons who deliberately portrayed themselves as officers of his noble institution are brought into book by prosecuting them to strictly serve as deterrent to or prevent others who have intention or planned to commit such crimes going into 2024 general election,” the statement added.

Below is the full statement by the expert

ASSIN NORTH BY - ELECTION : THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE (IGP) MUST ENSURE POLICE IMPOSTERS ARRESTED ARE PROSECUTED TO SERVE AS DETERENT TO OTHERS AHEAD OF 2024 GENERAL ELECTION - Security Policy Expert

Congratulations to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, the Police Management Board ( POMAB) and the entire Police Service for delivering on their promises to the people of Assin North constituency and Ghanaians at large in ensuring a peaceful by election through the right and prudent strategic security measures put in place to maintain law and order, and to curb the unfortunate disturbances that could have resulted into dreadful election security violence.

It is important to acknowledge the fact that, the security strategic measures such as the band on the use of firearms at or around the polling stations, the tactical wear of police body cameras and the pre-election shared security activities such as community engagement and health screening implemented in Assin North by-election to occasion a successful and peaceful by-election never came out of a vacuum but rather through determination, commitment and above all the unbiased actions by officers on the grounds coupled with the self-confident and garner credibility of the Inspector General of Police to empower his senior officers to take in charge of all the 99 polling stations in the constituency.

With police's alertness and braveness to arrest persons who portrayed themselves as police officers of the noble police institution, in videos that have gone viral which emanated from the constituency strongly convinced us, as the Center for Security Dialogue and Peace Advocacy that, the IGP and his men and women have critically studied and analysed the new casual factors of election security violence which dominated clearly in Ayawaso West Wuogon by-elections, where party loyalists in the name of national security operatives infiltrated in the constituency with state security cars unnumbered and uniforms without name tags caused mayhem in the full glare of the cameras and professional police officers. Again, the historical antecedents of election security violence of previous by-elections, observable election security violence indicators on the ground, geographical nature of the constituency were all fundamental elements for the formation of the strategy.

Prevention as they say is better than cure, for this reason am calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare to as a matter of fact, ensure that, those persons who deliberately portrayed themselves as officers of his noble institution are brought into book by prosecuting them to strictly serve as deterrent to or prevent others who have intention or planned to commit such crimes going into 2024 general election.

Sign

Anthony Acquaye ( MA in Security KAIPTC)

Security Policy Expert, Center for Security Dialogue and Peace Advocacy ( CSDPA)

0556783793

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