Editorial

Help police to ensure free, fair, peaceful elections!

 Even though elections in the country so far have not brought about any large-scale violence or con­flicts, that must not be the basis to be complacent that nothing untoward can happen to plunge the country into chaos.

At least, there are records of isolated violent cases that can be generalised that some mis­creants can do the unexpected.

It is intriguing how elections in Africa, including Ghana, have become a source of fear that makes the people live on tenterhooks until all is done and the dust has settled.

Until then all efforts, projec­tions, suggestions and what not must not be dismissed.

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Everyone must be on the lookout and be on the guard to help contain anything that bodes evil which will rear its ugly head.

This is why it is important for the whole nation to ponder over the position taken by the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, by way of urging political actors and the elector­ate to support the Ghana Police Service to maintain law and order before, during and after the elections.

During election periods security services in the country, particularly the police, have to embrace extra responsibility of enhancing law and order.

In spite of all their collabo­rative efforts, some misfits in the society succeed in creating troubles here and there.

Such troubles are sometimes created on the blind side of the security personnel.

This is why we agree with the Vice President that “It is the duty of all of us to ensure that we have credible, peaceful, free and fair elections come Decem­ber.”

That is to say that whatever needs to be done to ensure the success of elections in the country cannot be left to the security personnel, particularly the police alone.

It is a fact that all the security personnel in the country are playing their respective roles but most of the time some bad citizens make the work of the police very difficult and a daunting task.

The army, navy, air force, fire service, immigration, and customs personnel all help in policing or monitoring elec­tions in the country but when it comes to arresting and prose­cuting electoral offenders, that task is left to the police only.

Woe betide any member of the other security services who attempts to even arrest offend­ers because the whole country would go frenzy against that non-police security person.

Meanwhile, even the inad­equate number of the police does not grant them the immu­nity to pick and choose which task to perform and which to avoid.

In simple terms, The Ghanaian Times is saying that the police already have much to do, at least, in the period leading to the elections, the time of the elections and days, weeks and a month or two after the elec­tions, so the whole nation must help them to ensure peace, and law and order.

That is to help ease the burden on them to be able to discharge their duties profes­sionally and with improved level of that dedication which has earned the Ghana Police Ser­vice global respect, which is an honour to the whole country.

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