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POLICE PERSONNEL across the country have been warned to stay away from �Akpeteshie� bars (alcohol) on the day of election to have a clear mind to perform their assigned responsibilities to maintain a peaceful atmosphere at polling centres. Director-General (Technical) of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Ampah Bennin, who issued the warning said the police administration will deal drastically with any officer found drunk while monitoring the elections. DCOP Bennin said this while addressing the closing ceremony of a public order management simulation exercise in Sunyani on Saturday. According to the police chief, the success of the impending elections will depend largely on the capacity of the police. He therefore tasked the personnel who underwent the training to to bring their skills to bear on the day of the election to ensure peaceful polls. DCOP Bennin charged the personnel to put the interest of the country at heart and think about Ghana first in the course of performing their duties. Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander, DCOP Robert Ayalingo said the one-week intensive course will equip personnel with the requisite skill, knowledge and professional approach to public order management for the upcoming elections. This, he said, will adequately prepare personnel physically, mentally and psychologically to provide security promptly on crowd related violence. �It is undoubtedly evident by the simulation exercise performed by the participants that the training has gone through them and they are imbued with the skills to address any electoral violence,� he said, adding that the regional command will benefit immensely from that. He said experiences from previous elections had informed the police administration about security threats in the region which actually necessitated the training course. Some of these threats, he said include the arriving at polling stations dressed in party colors/paraphernalia, snatching of ballot boxes; waylaying voters at vantage routes and threatening them and the use of �macho men� to cause general commotion in the election area. DCOP Ayalingo seized the opportunity to entreat all political parties to eschew violence and avoid recruiting people/macho men outside their districts, constituencies and regions as polling agents to cause conflict. �They should play by the rules of the game by always following the dictates of the Public Order Act and the Electoral Laws of Ghana,� he said. The 130 personnel and two senior police officers who participated in the training were taken lessons on dispersing violent mobs professionally, use of firearm in crowd control, effective use of tear gas and long batons in crowd dispersal and control, dismantling of unlawful road blocks mounted by riotous mobs and identifying and arresting the ring leaders. The event was attended by the members of the Regional Security Taskforce.