Over 500 police deployed for national flood clean-up exercise in Accra
More than 500 police officers from the Accra Regional Police Command have been deployed to key locations across the Greater Accra Region to provide security and take part in the two-day National General Cleaning exercise ordered by President John Dramani Mahama in response to last week’s devastating floods.
The deployment is part of broader security and operational arrangements for the nationwide clean-up campaign, which will take place on Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11, under the theme, “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the Floods.”
Announced by Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu on July 6, the exercise is being coordinated by the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee. It will involve ministers, Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), heads of state institutions and other public officials leading clean-up activities in their respective communities.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, July 9, Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo said all security arrangements had been finalised to ensure the exercise is conducted successfully throughout 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 said.
Mrs Ocloo explained that the officers would play a dual role by maintaining security 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,” she said.
She also revealed that healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, had committed to supporting the nationwide 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,” she added.
According to the Regional Minister, the Inspector-General of Police has personally overseen the security arrangements to ensure public safety during the exercise.
“The IGP has also made some interventions to make sure that all the police from the various districts are positioned… So everything is on call,” she said.
She clarified that the 500 officers being deployed are from the Accra Regional Police Command and are in addition to police personnel already stationed across the various districts.
“The five hundred is from regional command,” she noted.
The National General Cleaning Days initiative follows the severe flooding that affected several parts of the country after heavy rains late last month, resulting in multiple deaths, the displacement of thousands of residents and widespread damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure.
In the aftermath of the floods, the government has intensified recovery efforts through the Ghana Armed Forces, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), local authorities and other emergency agencies, which have been carrying out rescue operations, clearing drains and distributing relief to affected communities.
President Mahama’s directive is aimed at accelerating post-flood recovery by removing debris, desilting drains, clearing refuse from waterways and improving sanitation to minimise the risk of disease outbreaks and future flooding.
Authorities have called on residents, civil society organisations, religious groups, businesses and community associations to actively participate in the clean-up exercise to support efforts to restore flood-affected communities.
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