Avoid political interference in the work of police — Commander
Political interference in the work of the police can be counterproductive to efforts by the police to maintain peace and order in the upcoming general election, Chief Superintendent Richard Boahen, the Ahafo Ano South West District Police Commander, has asserted.
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He said the constant intervention of political actors on behalf of people who violated electoral and other laws could threaten the peace that every Ghanaian desired.
He stated that such people were encouraged to commit more crimes under the guise of political protection, a situation which could trigger reprisal attacks from opposing political activists.
Law enforcement
Mr Boahen, who was speaking at the inauguration of the newly formed Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) at Mankranso in the Ashanti Region, said such interferences were inimical to maintaining peace in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
He said allowing the police to discharge their duties as a law enforcement agency was the way to go as a country to keep troublemakers away from the electoral processes, leading to the election of deserving candidates to lead the country.
Mr Boahen appealed to politicians and other stakeholders to allow perpetrators of crime to face the full rigours of the law to serve as deterrence to others for the collective good of the country.
The police commander said Mankranso was becoming notorious for electoral violence and served notice that the command would ruthlessly deal with persons whose stock in trade was to foment trouble during elections.
He said Mankranso had become a hotspot in the region, hence his outfit had to deploy personnel to every exhibition centre during the recent exhibition exercise.
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He also wondered why the relationship between the leadership of political parties was always cordial but that of their supporters was acrimonious and charged leaders of political parties to engage their followers in political tolerance as exhibited by themselves.
Cordial relationships
The District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Bernard Osei Boateng, underscored the importance of the committee ahead of the election.
He explained that the committee served as a platform for dialogue and collaboration among political parties, stakeholders, faith-based organisations, traditional council and other civil society organisations to address electoral concerns to promote tolerance and mitigate issues that could potentially inflame passions.
He encouraged members of the committee to put their shoulders to the wheel in the campaign for a peaceful election in the district, stressing the need for them to use any platform they mount to preach peace and tolerance.
The District Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Benjamin Akumanue, commended the NCCE for the initiative, saying he wished such dialogues would be organised every week to remind one another of the roles they could play in maintaining peace.
He said organising a free and fair election was not the responsibility of only the EC and urged all stakeholders to play their respective roles to protect the credibility of the process. — GNA