Hot Source….Military Officer
Security architect and columnist Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dziedzorm Dey, has cautioned that the Ghana Police Service’s long-standing reliance on mass deployments to deter election-related violence has consistently failed to manage crowd behaviour.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Lt. Col. Dey, said police crowd-control strategies often allow voters and onlookers to come into direct contact with sensitive areas, such as polling stations, ballot boxes, and Electoral Commission (EC) officials.
He described this practice as “out of the norm” and warned that it leaves security personnel vulnerable to attack.
His comments come as political parties prepare for a by-election in the Akwatia and Tamale Central seats following the deaths of the constituency’s Members of Parliament (MPs).
Under Article 112(5) of Ghana’s Constitution, such a vacancy mandates a by-election. The EC has set the by-election for Tuesday, September 2, 2025, following the passing of the sitting MP, Ernest Kumi, on July 7, 2025.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has endorsed Solomon Kwame Asumadu, the party’s constituency treasurer and CEO of Owuo Mining Company, as its candidate via a consensus decision. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held primaries in early August 2025, during which Bernard Bediako Baidoo, a legal practitioner, emerged victorious following a closely contested process.
TheTamale Central parliamentary seatalso became vacant following the death ofDr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed in a military helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
Although a date has yet to be set for the by-election, the NPP has announced that it will not contest the Tamale Central by-election. The decision, made at a National Steering Committee meeting on August 11, 2025, was described as a gesture of respect during a national period of mourning; however, the NDC has mocked the NPP, saying it is only staying away from the poll and has no chance.
NPP’s leadership called participation in the election at this time “inhumane and unconscionable,” citing the heightened tensions that by-elections typically bring.
Lt. Col. Dey emphasised the need for effective physical crowd management and dispersal measures, beginning with the segmentation of polling stations using barriers to channel voters in an orderly fashion.
This, he explained, would create space for process engineering to regulate entry and exit points.
Outlining his recommendations, Lt Col Dey proposed a two-layer security perimeter: anInner perimeter, securing the immediate area around election officials and ballot boxes within at least a 30-metre radius, manned by unarmed personnel backed by undercover armed officers.
He called for a review of the standard operating procedure that prohibits weapons near ballot boxes, arguing that changing threat dynamics require greater flexibility.
Outer perimeter, A strong cordon of crowd-control specialists, supported by a protection team stationed 80–100 metres away to gather intelligence, detect rising tensions and prevent surges towards polling stations.
According to him, such measures would help end the recurring scenes of violence, ballot box snatching and loss of life on election days.
“The mantra of thuggery, beating people, stealing ballot boxes and endangering lives must come to an end. The police must move beyond the false sense of security that comes with numbers and adopt a more strategic approach,” he urged.
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