4200 security personnel deployed to Western Region

The Western Regional Police Command together with the Joint Operation Centre had deployed about 4200 security personnel to various parts of the region ahead of the December 7 polls.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Asare, Western Regional Deputy Police Commander, said they comprise of all security agencies to ensure effective monitoring and control operations during the elections.

He said the Command had also set up operational maps, incident, deployment, and result chart and provided communication equipment including three television sets and five radio sets to monitor the elections.

ASP Asare was briefing the Regional Inter-Party Dialogue Committee members on the security preparations for elections 2012 in the Region.

He said that the Command would provide one security personnel at each of the 2,619 polling stations but electoral areas considered as flash points would have two personnel.

ASP Asare said 130 personnel would be deployed to the 26 collation centres and five personnel, including four armed men, would be at each collation centre and 10 at the regional collation centre and the score board ground.

ASP Asare said that the region had identified 32 strategic locations for major rapid deployment force, which would require 450 personnel.

He said force would be commanded by a senior police officer at each location to serve as a quick reaction team.

ASP Asare lauded the National Security for providing the Regional Police Command with additional gadgets, and said the security agencies were on top of their job, and they would work to maintain peace.

The security personnel expressed worry that some media outlets, particularly, radio stations, act as police offices and receive complainants or rumours from the public.

They advocated that party billboards and posters must also be removed from polling stations, and stressed the need for voters to leave the polling station after voting.

Another concerned raised was the possibility of some people using mobile phones to take picture of voting.