DON'T ATTEMPT TO INTERFERE WITH ELECTORAL PROCESS — POLICE (PAGE 17)

The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwaku Ayensu Opare-Addo has said that supporters and sympathisers of parties in the Ashanti Region who make any attempt to interfere with the electoral process on December 7, 2008, by either intimidating the electorate to create confusion or attempting to snatch ballot boxes will not only incur the wrath of the security agencies but will also be treated like common criminals and be dealt with accordingly.
This, he said, would pave way for a free, fair, transparent and credible elections
"The security forces have prepared adequately for anyone who harbours evil intention to create confusion in the elections, and we would not hesitate to descend heavily and deal ruthlessly with them, no matter their party affiliations" he warned, adding “we will not allow any person or group of people to cause trouble.’’
DCOP Opare-Addo gave the warning when he granted an interview to a section of the media at the Ashanti Regional Police Headquarters in Kumasi last Thursday.
The interview was meant to assure the electorate in the region of adequate security presence and protection during the December general elections to enable them to have the needed confidence to turn up in their numbers to cast their votes.
Mr Opare –Addo noted that reports reaching his outfit indicated that some sympathisers of some political parties were training some young men to create confusion during the elections by either intimidating the electorate or snatching the ballot boxes during the counting of the ballot papers.
" Anyone who attempts to do that would be risking his life because we have strategised and put some security measures in place which would not be disclosed to you for security reasons".
" If there is someone out there who would like to attack the system, we are ready to fight all those who want to destroy the system. We cannot allow the security services to be condemned, before, during and after the elections, so if it is going to be a tooth for tooth affair, we would do that, if it is going to be an eye for eye affair, certainly we would do that, and if it is going to be a do or die affair, we would meet all those who would like to come in contention with the security services in this regard" he stressed.
Mr Opare-Addo said the rumour was rife that some youth were being trained to create confusion, but refused to be drawn on the specific party or group of people who were actively involved. However, he was quick to add that " we do not want to tag any specific party with this rumour, but it is up to us as security agents of the state to devise means that would create conducive atmosphere for free, fair and transparent elections to be held ".
Mr Opare –Addo advised the electorate to have confidence in the security agencies in the run up to the December general elections, stressing that the Regional Electorate Security Task Force (RESTF) was already in place and was " ready to meet the security demands of the electorate so they should not be afraid.