No Security Worries

Page 29: January 18, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
UNDOUBTEDLY, global attention is currently on Ghana. Not for bad reasons, but for good reasons. The land of gold, the abode of peace, the home of hospitality, the gateway to Africa and the country championing African excellence, is hosting 15 other countries in a biennial soccer fiesta. The Ghana 2008 event, is not just bringing in the 15 teams and their supporters, but is also drawing dignitaries, tourists and lovers of football across the world to Ghana to the January 20 to February 10, 2008 event.
Even without such events, criminal activities have often threaten the siren atmosphere of the country. And with large numbers of people coming in, some with varied aims, it is important that the security agencies rise up to the task to sustain the recent soaring image of Ghana and live up to the standards of world governing body, FIFA standards.
It is in that vein that the security agencies, led by the Ghana Police Service, have masterminded a new operational strategy to ensure a peaceful and enjoyable Ghana 2008. The Ghana Police Service has re-structured its operational strategy from the routine law enforcement and keeping the peace to a proactive paradigm that calls for an increased police visibility and accessibility through day and night patrols with the view to preventing crime.
The strategy, known as the multi-agency approach, has been adopted as the security management style of the tournament. The ultimate objective of the strategy is to stem the tide in all violent crimes, especially armed robbery, reduce the fear of crime and to make all commuters safe. The strategy calls for the active involvement and proper co-ordination of all stakeholders under the security sector, both core and partners.
To operationalise the multi-agency approach, the security agencies have already collected, collated, analysed and disseminated intelligence among themselves and continue to do same as and when the intelligence was available.
Fortunately, the managers of Ghana 2008 security, have involved security officers of participating countries, stadium management staff, the National Ambulance Service, stewards and volunteers, ball boys and private security companies.
Under the strategy, the security agencies will be providing security for VVIPs and VIPS, provide security for the arrival and departure of match officials, teams, supporters, tourists and visitors coming from outside the country at all entry points and provide security escorts and outriders for match officials and players to their hotels.
Security is also to be provided at hotels, training pitches, the four stadia, venues of social activities and the site of the giant screen, ensure general security for spectators during and after matches, traffic management, day and night patrols, both foot and mobile at the four match centres to ensure general safety. Highway patrols both day and night on major routes to the four match centres would also be undertaken to make the highways safe while contingency plans have been made to provide security services throughout the country to ensure a successful tournament.
For those who fear that criminals and other unscrupulous persons from other countries may have easy access to the country to perpetuate crime, the good news is that the International Police Organisation (Interpol) is sending an Interpol Major Event Support Team (IMEST) to support their Ghanaian counterparts before, during and after the tournament. The IMEST will be base at all the entry and exit points of the country with state of the art technology to help track down any criminal as well as traffickers of both human and other illicit commodities such as drugs and weapons. Another group of the IMEST team would also operate from the Security Command Room located at the Ohene Djan Stadium. Another group of the IMEST team would join their counterparts from the Ghana Immigration Service and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to patrol all the entry points where they would be in close communication with the IMEST Control Rooms at the various stadia.
As part of the security management for the tournament, personnel of the various agencies, namely the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), have undergone a lot of training both local and abroad, to ensure a successful management and deployment plan of the security management strategy for Ghana 2008.
The personnel have been detailed to provide security for VVIPs and VIPs, provide security for the arrival and departure of match officials, teams, supporters, tourists and visitors coming from outside the country at all entry points as well as provide security escorts and outriders for match officials and players to and from their hotels.
They are also to provide security at hotels, training pitches, the four stadia, venues of social activities, the site of the giant screen, ensure general security for spectators during and after matches, day and night patrols, both foot and mobile at the four match centres to ensure general safety.
The security personnel are also to embark on highway patrols both day and night on major routes leading to the four match centres to make the highways safe.
To this end, the security agencies have established a command structure at three levels to facilitate communication.
A Gold Control Room will be established at the Police Headquarters with the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Timbillah as the Gold Commander.
The respective Regional Police Commanders for Accra, Ashanti, Western and Northern Regions, have been designated Silver Commanders while the various divisional and district commanders under them would serve as Bronze Commands. The Bronze Commanders will be supporting the silver commanders in discharging the various security responsibilities.
Among such responsibilities include conducting searches on all spectators to the stadia to track down unauthorised materials and prohibited objects such as fire crackers, fire arms, knives, narcotic drugs and alcoholic beverages.
The personnel would also be checking “ambush marketing” by non-accredited sponsors by any group of spectators especially supporter unions both local and foreign.
The security agencies through their combined efforts, would also provide adequate security at all vantage points and at all the sites of large screen for the live show of the matches and co-ordinate with other stakeholders before, during and after the matches.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr P. K. Acheampong admitted in an interview that the Ghana 2008 tournament would create more security challenges to the police.
He, however, assured the nation that with the comprehensive security management planning in place, supported by series of training both local and abroad, the police will measure up adequately to the task and hence ensure a successful tournament.
Mr Acheampong reminded the populace that security, peace and safety issues and concerns were no more the preserve of police organisations the world over.
He said policing or security issues were now a shared responsibility between the security services and the community.
“Against this background therefore, the Police Administration wishes to appeal to all and sundry to see themselves as active stakeholders in providing security for themselves as well as the communities within which they live,” he said.
The Director-General of Operations, Mr Timbillah, appealed to all visiting teams, officials and supporters and tourists to endeavour to respect the laws of the country and not to hesitate to contact the police for any assistance or to provide any useful information which would promote peace and a successful tournament.
He said the Sekondi venue was expected to pose the biggest security challenge relative to other match centres.
That, he explained, was because the venue would be hosting next-door neighbours, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
Mr Timbillah said as a result, the Central Region had been drafted to support the security operations of Western Region while the Upper East and West Regions would support the Northern Regional Command.
He said the other regions have been drafted to support the operations of the nearest venue region in their security operations.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would continue to display the legendary Ghanaian hospitality, generosity, care and love for the visitors and to cheer the national team up with a high level of decorum and respect the rule of law.
Mr Timbillah urged supporters to submit themselves to searches and desist from smuggling into the various stadia any unauthorised materials.