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Director-General of Operations Ghana Police Service, COP John Kudalor has patted his men on the back for following crowd control rules in the case of Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) for disobeying the court order to use the approved route in their demonstration.

Dozens of demonstrators were injured after police clashed with them in a protest that was supposed to have been peaceful.

Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), rallied hundreds of protestors in Accra on Wednesday to demand the creation of a new voters’ register.

The groups had wanted to present their petition at the office of the Electoral Commission; however, the police secured a court injunction asking the group to use a different route.

The protest started peacefully with the presence of heavy police personnel but later turned bloody when demonstrators tried to veer off the approved route.

Reacting to the action of the police in the melee, COP John Kudalor told Okay Fm’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show that the police used minimum force to disperse the leaders and their crowd from pushing through the police warning line.

“The police asked them to retreat through negotiation as part of the minimum force. The leaders were trying to push through the ranks of the police and that was when the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The police didn’t use live gun to disperse the demonstrators as has been announced; our training is not to start throwing tear gas but we used minimum force by using trenches and shield to control the demonstration,” he responded.

“The police did exactly what they were expected to do….no police with the best practices will accept that; they were breaking the set up rules…they insisted to use the unapproved routes and then we had no option than to use the minimum force. No police used live ammunition; we have the power of discretion and we have the authority to use minimum force”, he emphasized.

As the Convenor of the Let My Vote Count Alliance has indicated that many of the demonstrators have sustained serious injuries, COP John Kudalor has reacted saying there were minimum casualties.

“I don’t think they sustain so much maim or serious injuries as they are saying…we only used tear gas and minimum force,” he stated.