More than 500 police officers from the Accra Regional Police Command have been deployed across strategic locations in the Greater Accra Region to provide security and participate in the two-day National General Cleaning exercise ordered by President John Dramani Mahama following last week's devastating floods.

The deployment forms part of extensive security and logistical preparations ahead of the nationwide sanitation campaign scheduled for Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11, under the theme "Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the Floods."

READ ALSO: Friday is not a holiday: What you need to know about the June 10-11 national cleaning days

The exercise, announced by Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu on July 6, is being coordinated by the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee and will see ministers, Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), heads of state institutions and other public officials leave their offices to lead clean-up activities in their respective communities.

Speaking on JoyNews' The Pulse on Thursday, July 9, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, said all security arrangements had been concluded to ensure a successful exercise across the region.

"And so all of them will be placed at some vantage places to make sure that tomorrow's exercise is successful. And they're also going to be part of the clean-up."

She explained that the police would perform dual responsibilities by maintaining law and order while actively participating in the sanitation exercise.

"Not only going to make sure that they monitor the security at the end of the month, but they are also part of the training."

Mrs Ocloo further disclosed that healthcare professionals had also pledged their support for the exercise.

"In fact, the best news is that even doctors have also pledged and nurses have also pledged, I mean, to deploy some of their staff to also make sure that they participate. And so, like you said, more than twice, it's going to be massive."

The Regional Minister said the Inspector-General of Police had personally directed the security arrangements for the exercise to guarantee public safety.

"The IGP has also made some interventions to make sure that all the police from the various districts are positioned at confrontation to make sure that more or less the time to be suspected. So everything is on call."

Clarifying the scale of the deployment, Mrs Ocloo explained that the 500 officers were being provided by the Accra Regional Police Command in addition to personnel stationed across the districts.

"The five hundred is from regional command."

The National General Cleaning Days initiative follows the widespread flooding that struck several parts of the country after torrential rains late last month, leaving dozens dead, thousands displaced and causing extensive damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure.

The government has since intensified flood recovery efforts, with the Ghana Armed Forces, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), local authorities and other emergency agencies undertaking rescue, drainage clearance and relief operations.

President Mahama's directive is intended to accelerate post-flood recovery by removing debris, desilting drains, clearing refuse from waterways and improving environmental sanitation to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks and future flooding.

Authorities have urged residents, civil society organisations, religious bodies, businesses and community groups to actively participate in the exercise to complement government efforts to restore communities affected by the floods.