As Akwatia prepares for its crucial by-election today, Tuesday, September 2, 2025, security analyst Samuel Nana Appiah has called on the Ghana Police Service to demonstrate greater effectiveness in their duties.
Despite the deployment of over 5,500 officers to the constituency to ensure peace and order, Mr Appiah believes that sheer numbers are not enough to guarantee a secure and peaceful process.
Citing the recent violence that marred the Ablekuma North constituency rerun, the analyst expressed concern about the police’s ability to handle public unrest.
“We saw people being attacked even in the presence of the police, and that was an unfortunate incident that must not be repeated during the Akwatia By-election,” he stated.
In an interview with Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Appiah emphasized that the number of officers is sufficient, but their operational effectiveness is the most critical factor.
“The 5,500 officers deployed to the constituency is more than enough, but the most critical question is, ‘How effective is the police going to be?’ If we have more police officers present at a location and yet, people gather the courage to assault others, it would be fruitless. We saw that during the Ablekuma North election rerun,” he explained.
Mr Appiah advised the police to be firm, fair, and impartial in dealing with any form of lawlessness.
He stressed the importance of the police operating independently, free from manipulation or undue influence from political figures.
“How independent the police are going to operate is very important and not for them to be manipulated or follow instructions and be biased by intimidating political opponents of others while allowing others to misbehave,” he added.
According to him, the public will judge the police based on their performance on the ground.
He urged the service to protect its integrity and credibility by effectively managing potential violence.
“With the numbers you have there, nothing should overpower you. Intelligence must work. The police should be able to manage any form of violence during the by-election,” he said, advising the police to identify hotspots and deal with them proactively to prevent any surprises.
While acknowledging the large police presence, Mr Sameul Nana Appiah expressed concern that it highlights underlying weaknesses in the country’s security systems.
“As a country, if we have over 5,500 policemen in a constituency where about 52,000 constituents are going to vote, then it speaks about some weaknesses in the system,” he noted.
However, he concluded with a hopeful tone, stating, “But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. We expect a peaceful election.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
