EXHIBIT PROFESSIONALISM TO REASSURE VOTERS — ALHASSAN (PAGE 13)

THE Western Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, has tasked all security personnel to exhibit the highest level of professionalism to reassure voters, officials and the public that their safety and security are guaranteed.
He said "The Police and indeed all national security personnel have a crucial responsibility to ensure peace and security during the December election.”
DCOP Alhassan was speaking at the opening session of a two-day seminar on ‘Election monitoring and policing’ for key police commanders and members of the national, regional and district election security task force from the Western and Central regions in Takoradi.
He said "the protection of human life, voters, electoral materials and officials, and the preservation of lawful and orderly electoral processes are necessary for free and fair elections."
In his view, the success of the forthcoming elections, to a large extent, would be dependent on the conduct of the police officers as well as security personnel before, during and after the elections.
DCOP Alhassan was confident that the police officers would come out of the seminar better equipped and informed to be able to make more positive and appreciable contributions to support the electoral process as a whole.
"I find this seminar very crucial” he said, and therefore entreated the police personnel to make the best out of the seminar.
The Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Mr Stephen Opoku-Mensah, urged the police to be conversant with the electoral laws to be able to play their role effectively.
He said it was an offence for a voter to put any other material rather than the validated ballot paper supplied by the commission in the ballot box.
Speaking on the topics "Electoral law and electoral offences" and "Democracy, election and human rights", Mr Opoku-Mensah said the secret ballot prevented intimidation, since nobody would know which party or candidate one voted for.
Also, he said the counting of the ballot papers openly at the polling stations showed the transparency of the country’s electoral process.
The regional director said the polling station executive of the various political parties were expected to witness the collation of the election results at the constituency capital.
He explained that when a voter in the process of voting spoiled a ballot paper; he or she could send it back to the presiding officer at the polling station to be changed for him or her.
Mr Opoku-Mensah further explained that when a voter cast a spoilt ballot paper without sending it back to be changed, that vote would be rejected during counting.