Second Battalion to launch 'Exercise Western Shield' for peaceful elections

As part of its preparedness to ensure security before, during and after the December polls, the Second Infantry Battalion (2BN) will soon launch a three-Day Counter-Terrorism and Multi-Agencies Inter-operability training exercise dubbed, “Exercise Western Shield 2020”.

The 2BN which has military operational responsibility of Ghana’s Western Territories comprising Western and Western North Regions has earmarked October 6, 2020 to October 9, 2020 for the Exercise in Takoradi.

The training will involve Internal Security (IS), Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)comprising Election Security Joint Operation Centre (ESOC) Procedures, Defence of key/strategic Installations, and Internal Security Operations Legal Requirements among others.

The Exercise would involve movement of troops and use of blank ammunitions with few explosives in controlled areas across the Western and Western North Regions. Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the launch, Major Martin Dziedzorm Dey, Commander Rear of the 2BN explained that attacks on Ghana’s neighboring countries called for swift preventive and deterrent measures to be ahead of any unforeseen attacks. He stated that the closeness of terrorist threats amidst seemingly rising political tension required that troops were trained and exercised on contemporary Internal Security Tactics, techniques and procedures, as part of deterrence, detection, delay and devaluation of likely threats. He explained that during the Exercise, routine activities and patrols would be done concurrently at the beaches, churches, mosques, malls, key institutions and personalities, barracks and security installations. Major Dey said the Election Security Joint Operation Centre would develop best strategies to handle election related violence like ballot snatching, rioting, with a contingency plan.

According to him, family members of security personnel would also be taken through defence techniques and ways of identifying attacks with strategies be developed to secure the malls and major public places to make sure that they did not become hideouts for perpetrators.

He added that the “Western Shield” which comprised of the Army, Navy, Airforce, Fire Service, Ghana Immigration, BNI, Ghana Police Service, Prisons Service, Defence Intelligence, State Institutions and stakeholders like Atuabo Gas would enhance coordination among others for improved security.

Major Dey called on the members of the public to have confidence in the security forces and not panic upon seeing the personnel in their midst during the Exercise.

He called on the media to help in the dissemination of information on the Exercise to sensitize the people of the Western and Western North Regions.