The police will pursue all those linked to the electoral violence during the just ended limited voter registration, to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted.
Crime has no political or ethnic colour(s) and the prosecution of such persons will serve as deterrent to others,” the Director of Police Public Affairs, Superintendent Cephas Arthur told The Ghanaian Times in an interview on Friday.
He expressed worry at skirmishes and vadadalisation of electoral materials at some voters registration centres.
Supt Arthur said, the police had to deploy personnel to some ‘trouble centres’ to avert what could have been bloody.
He revealed that at a centre within the Ga South municipality, in Accra, a policeman was reported to have been assaulted by a civilian in his (policeman’s) quest to ensure that there was order.
Supt. Arthur stated that some people have been arrested in connection with the registration and were assisting the police in investigations.
Others he said, were at large and were being pursued to be brought to order to serve as a deterrent to others.
‘We are collating all the allegations of violence at the polling centres. The police is leaning not to leave any stone unturned and to set the record straight before the general election’, Arthur said.
He indicated that a legal, investigation and prosecution sub-committee of the national election task force had been formed to deal with such issues, which they were vigorously pursuing.
He said that he Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. John Kudalor, and the Police Management Board attached seriousness to the just ended exercise, which was more of a precursor to the general elections.
Supt. Arthur said as part of the IGP’s engagement with stakeholders to ensure free and fair elections, he (IGP) had had meetings with the leadership of the various political parties, and youth groups among others.
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