Police personnel have been cautioned not to accept water or any package of meals from any political party whenever they are posted to a polling station to perform security duties during elections or any organised programme by the Electoral Commission (EC). The police have also been urged to discharge their duties as professionals whenever they are dispatched to perform electoral assignments and indeed, all other functions they are tasked to undertake. The Berekum Municipal Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Charles Ampem Kosono, who gave the caution at Berekum, stressed that "it is not allowed for any policeman or woman to take food or even water from political parties during election times. Whoever is caught will face sanctions". Speaking at a day's forum organised by the Berekum office of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) for youth activists of political parties in the Berekum Constituency, Mr Kosono explained that by accepting any food package from one political party or another, the police officer would have compromised his or her neutrality and, therefore, would not be able to fully exercise his/her operative at the polling station. The forum was to brief the participants on the code of conduct by the political parties before and during the December elections. He again pointed out that every policeman or policewoman was always given a ration whenever assigned to perform election duty even a day before the actual time. Besides, he emphasised, "Once you are a policeman on duty, you have to prepare adequately before leaving for your duty post, but not to leave there to buy food or water or rely on anybody else for food". Turning to the activists, ASP Kosono reminded them of the existence of the Public Order Act, which he described as very important for all of them to comply with, because according to him, the police would not renege on its responsibility to strictly apply the law, especially before, during and after the December general election. The Municipal Police Commander noted that some of the political parties felt reluctant to inform the police about their activities, especially when organising political rallies, pointing out that any party intending to hold a rally, should inform the police five days before the event to allow the police to prepare adequately. "It is our duty to protect the people and their property, and we cannot refuse any party's intention to hold any forum of any kind, but all we need is that the parties should inform us in time so that we also can organise our men and women to provide them the needed protection," Mr Kosono directed. He also noted that some political activists, especially the youth, never went home after attending rallies but rather found their way to drinking spots and after taking alcoholic beverages, would resort to fomenting trouble, thereby falling foul of the law. According to ASP Kosono, some motorcycle riders conduct themselves recklessly during political party rallies, with some riding unregistered bikes. He warned that anyone caught in that act would not be spared. The Berekum Municipal Director of the NCCE, Mr Kofi Adu Gyamfi, took his time to take the activists through the code of conduct, and urged them to avoid all acts that would undermine the smooth programme of the upcoming elections. He pointed out that democracy had come to stay in the country, and so anyone desirous to turn the clock of progress back would not be tolerated. Mr Gyamfi cautioned the youth against defacing an opponent's party posters and other paraphernalia or obstructing a political programme. They should also avoid the use of abusive language during campaigns, and observed that excessive drinking of alcohol, wee smoking and the use of narcotic drugs were a recipe for trouble. Some of the party representatives expressed concern over the late start of the NCCE's programme line-up to educate the political parties in the municipality on the code of conduct, while others urged officials of the NCCE to remain wholly neutral, since any open alignment shown to any party would compromise their neutrality. Source: Daily Graphic