Regional News of Friday, 19 November 2004

Source: GNA

Police commander warns party supporters against violence

Agona Nsaba, Nov 19, GNA - The Agona Nyakrom District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) H. H Afful, has warned political party supporters and members to conduct campaigns devoid of violence and acrimony or face the full rigorous of the law.

He said the police would not allow party supporters and their leaders to take the law into their hands and cause mayhem as the country prepared to go to the polls on December, 7,2004.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Agona Nsaba, DSP Afful regretted that despite numerous appeals and advice from the clergy, organisations and others, some political parties still wanted to create violence and rancour.

DSP Afful noted that the Police was alert and would not give room for party supporters to wage war against other party members to ensure peace and stability.

He cautioned that if party supporters continued to antagonise each other in their electioneering campaign, the police would not hesitate to put the culprits or suspects before court to serve as deterrent to others.

DSP Afull told the GNA that the District Police Command had scheduled a meeting next week to meet political parties in the area especially in the Agona East constituency to discuss how to conduct the campaign devoid of intimidations, insults and violence and others which could mar the elections.

He asked the leaders of the two main political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to advice their followers against their utterances and other conduct that could create confusion.

DSP Afull called on party executives to furnish the Police with their programmes to enable security personnel to monitor their rallies and other activities to avert attacks and insults. He cautioned party supporters destroying and defacing political posters in the area to stop such practice, adding that Police are seriously monitoring people bent on denting the image of the country's democracy.