Editor-in-chief of Daily Dispatch Ben Ephson has recommended to the Election Security Task Force to deal harshly with would-be ballot snatchers on the day of general elections.
Ben Ephson suggested to the Commander of the Armoured Squadron of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superitendent Hamza Yakubu, when the latter was addressing TV3 news reporters on the security arrangements of the Police Service for the December polls.
“I don’t understand why someone will pick a ballot box and put the whole country, and not only a polling station, in danger,” he moaned.
But Chief Supt. Yakubu said there are many security strategies that the Security Task Force for the 2012 Elections has adopted that will prevent any persons from snatching ballot boxes.
“Some of our strategies cannot be disclosed to the public,” he said, “but I can tell you, without any iota of doubt, that ballot-box snatching is a thing of the past.”
“The strategies we have put in place cannot give way to anybody to snatch a ballot box.”
Chief Supt. Yakubu dispelled reports that the Police Service is training some personnel to disrupt the elections.
He said the Service is poised to be neutral in the discharge of their duties.
“It is dishonesty at the highest level if politicians accuse the police of training officers to rig elections,” he said.
“That will be shooting ourselves in the foot since fortunately the country has experienced changes in governments.”
The workshop was organized for TV 3 news staff to educate them on the dos and donts of the station’s broadcast journalists during the December Elections.
Source: editors.3news.com|Ghana
