The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has charged personnel of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to be neutral in the discharge of their mandate in the run up to the 2020 elections.
At the service’s 2019 West African Security Services Association (WASSA) celebration in Accra on Friday, he said “As law enforcement agents, you need to demonstrate your neutrality to protect and guarantee the sanctity of the entire electioneering process”.
“Ensure that the elections are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of any forms of intimidation and threats to lives and property. Use due process to deal decisively with any person or group of persons who may decide to foment trouble before, during and after the elections,” he said.
The charge comes on the back of reports of a leaked police memo which asked police personnel to dissociate themselves from a durbar held by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to remember the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.
The Accra Regional Police Command, after it received backlash from the NDC, said the memo was to caution police officers who were not deployed not to attend the event, adding that security was provided for the ceremony.
WASSA is annual merry-making gathering held by the security services, and to take stock of the previous year and forge ahead for an improved service delivery.
Dr Bawumia attributed the success of the seven Presidential and Parliamentary elections the country had held since the advent of the Fourth Republic, to the effective operational measures put in place by the Police together with all other security agencies in the country.
For this reason, he said the country’s hard earned image as the oasis of democracy within the Sub-Saharan African region needed to be consolidated for democratic gain and socio-economic development
“The year 2020 presents another litmus test to assess the democratic credentials of this country as Ghanaians head back to the polls. As expected, the international community will focus on Ghana to evaluate the credibility of the entire electioneering process,” he said.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to a peaceful, assuring that the state would continue to support the police and all security agencies with the requisite tools and resources to work effectively.
Touching on road carnages, Dr Bawumia described recent occurrence as “very alarming and regrettable” and charged the police to prevent accidents through effective enforcement and educational initiatives on vehicle road worthiness, over speeding and road safety practices.
While commending the Police Service for maintaining peace in the country he urged them to adopt innovative ways to combat crime and cautioned them against corrupt practices.
BY TIMES REPORTER
