The Police service has dissociated itself from the comment made by DCOP Gabriel Prince Waabu regarding security for the 2024 general elections.
DCOP Wabbu had indicated on Accra-based Joy FM that the military would be excluded from the security arrangement for the polls.
“We are not going to involve the military as it were, and it is going to be only the police, fire service, prisons, and then immigration service [that will provide security during the elections].
“It is our baby, it is the police baby, and we will invite our sister security services to assist in one way or the other,” he said.
But reacting to this in a statement the Police service said “The statements made by DCOP Mr Gabriel Prince Waabu concerning election security are unfounded and do not represent the position of the Ghana Police Service. We would therefore like to disassociate the Ghana Police Service completely from the statements and apologize to the Ghana Armed Forces. The conduct of the officer is being subjected to internal disciplinary processes of the Ghana Police Service.”
Below is the full statement from the police:
POLICE STATEMENT ON COMMENTS BY DCOP MR GABRIEL PRINCE WAABU ON ELECTION SECURITY
1. The attention of the Ghana Police Service has been drawn to an unfortunate statement made by DCOP Mr Gabriel Prince Waabu during a panel discussion on JoyNews, on Monday 19th February 2024.
2. The statements made by DCOP Mr Gabriel Prince Waabu concerning election security are unfounded and do not represent the position of the Ghana Police Service. We would therefore like to disassociate the Ghana Police Service completely from the statements and apologize to the Ghana Armed Forces. The conduct of the officer is being subjected to internal disciplinary processes of the Ghana Police Service.
3. We want to state that under the National Elections Security Taskforce Architecture, The Ghana Police Service works with all other security services including the Ghana Armed Forces to ensure peace, security, law and order, before, during and after elections. The approach to the 2024 General elections will be no different.
4. The Ghana Police Service wishes to appeal to the general public to continue to support us and other sister security agencies as we work together to deepen our democratic values during the 2024 elections and beyond.