The Eastern Regional Police Command has proposed for the release of a helicopter to the command to airlift security personnel and electoral materials to Island Communities in the Kwahu Afram Plains area during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections on December 7.
Kwahu Afram Plains North and south have dozens of polling stations on the Island. Security personnel and Electoral Commission officials are ferried for hours to the communities during every election
This always delays voting in the Island Communities.
The Eastern Regional Police Commander DCOP Edward Johnson Oyirifi -Akrofi in an interview with the media Koforidua stated that the Regional Police Command has tabled a request for lifejackets and helicopter to facilitate its operations in Afram Plains Area and safeguard the lives of its officers on the river during the election.
“The request that the region has made, because it was observed that, at times there will be delaying in the conveyance of election materials and transportation of security personnel who are supposed to police the various polling stations so because they are Islands as you rightly said, Personnel will have to be ferried so we have requested for lifejackets for their use and if possible for helicopter services to transport the materials. That is the request that was are hoping that such arrangements will be made for the smooth conduct of the election in those areas” DCOP Oyirifi- Akrofi said.
On general preparation towards the election, he stated that the Regional Police Command is prepared to provide adequate security to voters in 3,704 polling stations including 891 flashpoints identified. According to him, numerous training and capacity building programs have been rolled out for the personnel in the region on election security management.
“The region has about 3,704 polling stations and 891 flashpoints which we have identified in close collaboration with Electoral Commission so we are going to give extra focus to this flashpoints so nothing untoward happens during the election day”
He added, “We have received additional recruits, initially 30 were posted to the operational units alone for swift deployment in terms of emergencies and additional 87 reported only last week which we have subsequently distributed them to the various Districts”.
He urged all stakeholders to collaborate with the election security taskforce to ensure smooth and peaceful elections.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
