Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Professor Kwesi Aning says Ghana is likely to witness more violence in the next general elections.

He said the violence would call for the use of vigilantes to protect politicians. Professor Aning said in return, politicians would offer some of these thugs enlistment into the country’s security services; adding that protocol recruitment into the security service cannot be stopped.

Speaking at the 3rd NORPREVSEC National Dialogue organized by the National Commission for Civic Education, Professor Aning said when people with affiliation to political parties are recruited into these services it dilutes the institutional culture thereby causing indiscipline.

“When we have politically motivated individuals who have performed particular services for people who have gotten into power involved, they will not go through the usual recruitment process. They will not go through the regal background checks and this dilutes the institutional culture because no one can discipline them”.

He said “When the Ejura case happened, some of the people that were in the official helicopter had dread locks and beards and I ask if they are violent extremes or officials of the country’s Armed Forces,”

He added that the Ghana Police Service since 1954 has never known how to control crowd, adding that several reports including the Okudzeto report relating to the 2001 stadium disaster buttresses the point.

The West African Programme Director of Conciliation Resource, Ms Janet Adama Mohammed called for sensitisation and re-orientation among personnel of the Ghana Police Service on professionalism in the service.

According to her, most police personnel are ignorant of what it means to be professional.

“There are a number of Police who not even understand that there is an instrument in the constitution of Ghana that sets out the Police as service and not a police force. They still will hold the gun and act like Police force. So we need to create awareness among the Police to understand what it means to be a Police service,” she said.

The Northern Regional Minister called for vigilance following the wave of extremist that has engulf the sub region.

“Violent extremism is catching up all over West Africa but I am happy to note that Ghana has not yet been hit by that pandemic. That is not to say that we are on an island, nobody knows where it starts from,” the Minister said.

The Director of the NCCE, Ms Josephine Nkrumah said with the recent violence in the sub region and what has happened in Tamale, it makes the dialogue session very relevant.

“The convergence of the incidence that has happened in Tamale and in the sub-Regions has made this particular dialogue extremely relevant in light of what is going on and we are really glad that the dialogue enhances a critical issue of security that faces our nation,” she added.