The Ghana police Service has assigned the flagbearers and running mates of five political parties with security detail.
The police administration has been engaging the parties for more than three months.
Public interest in the need to provide security to presidential candidates increased after the NPP engaged the services of three South African security experts to train some staff of flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo. They were arrested by the BNI and subsequently deported.
Director of Operations Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Dr Benjamin Agordzo revealed this development in an interview with 3FM.
“As we speak now they have been trained and all of them have taken side arms and we have started deploying them. Akua Donkor’s Ghana Freedom Party, the Independent People’s Party, the APC and one other political party are part of those we have assigned our men to. For the NPP, they have asked their personnel to report to them directly because they already know them and they are aware of their selection,” he said.
He added that, “These men have been given a special kind of training. They were taken through rigorous physical training and also in VIP protection. Every political party will be assigned 6 policemen. The arrangement we made with them is that 2 for the running mates and 4 for the presidential candidate.”
The police service has also issued specific guidelines to the political parties on how their men are to be engaged.
Among other, the police administration says the assigned bodyguards will cover political activities of the presidential candidates and his running mate only
Again, when in Accra, the presidential candidate shall be responsible for providing accommodation and meals to the security detail.
The police service is also asking political parties to desist from using the guards for any form of household chores.
By Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah | 3fm 92.7 | 3news.com
