‘National SWAT is illegal and must be excluded from elections’ – Dr. Agordzo

ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo, Police Planning Officer at the UN Mission Support for Justice Reform, has called for the exclusion of the National Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit from Ghana’s 2024 general elections, labeling it "illegal" and unnecessary.

Speaking at the Peace Through Democracy forum, he argued that the unit violates the Constitution, which only allows the creation of police services by an Act of Parliament.

Dr. Agordzo highlighted the violent incident during the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election as evidence of the risks SWAT poses to election security.

He suggested that election security should be handled solely by the police, with specially trained officers when needed, and emphasized the importance of early stakeholder engagement and inclusivity in election security planning.