Election Security Taskforce talks tough … declares zero tolerance for machoism, uniformed non-state security personnel on election day

 The National Election Security Taskforce, led by the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has declared zero tolerance for the phenome­non of “machoism,” and the wearing of uni­form by non-security personnel during the upcoming December 7 General Elections.

This was communicated to the political parties during a meeting on Tuesday, De­cember 3, 2024, between the Taskforce and political party leaders at the Police Headquar­ters to address outstanding security concerns after their earlier engagement on November 21, 2024.

In his address, the IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare informed the various parties that the National Election Security Taskforce was going into this year’s general election with zero tolerance for the phenomenon of “machoism,” which in the past was a source of intimidation during electoral processes.

He, therefore, warned that anyone who attempts to intimidate people at any polling station, collation centre, or within any com­munity across the country during the election period would be arrested and dealt with in accordance with the law.

The IGP also stressed that security re­mained the sole responsibility of state securi­ty agencies and maintained that the National Election Security Taskforce will not con­done the practice where non-state security personnel and individuals wore uniforms or assume appearances that mimic state security agencies during the elections.

“Any non-security personnel found in such uniforms on election day would be dealt with,” he said.

IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare, seized the opportunity to outline the newly rede­fined De-escalation Strategy, which focus­es on providing contact numbers of the Police leadership at the National, Regional, Divisional, and District Commanders, to ensure quick and effective resolution of security issues at any location across the country during the election period in a timely manner.

This strategy of de-escalation is formed out of the fact that some major conflicts during elections stem from unresolved dis­agreements among stakeholders. These issues often begin as minor disputes but, without timely leadership intervention, can escalate into violence. This de-escalation strategy is, therefore, taken to address these situations effectively during this election period.

The political parties, on their part, pledged their commitment to abide by these mea­sures to ensure a peaceful election.

The National Election Security Taskforce affirmed its commitment to protecting the electoral process by ensuring that these security measures are strictly adhered to by the various political parties and anyone who flouts these measures will be arrested and dealt with in accordance with the law.

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