Baki: Police barracks to be demolished

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
Police Commissioner Gari Baki says the Gordon Police Barracks in Port Moresby will be demolished in January.
“I am not looking at refurbishing the barracks,” he said.
Baki was responding to concerns about the deteriorating state of the infrastructures in the single and married quarters of the barracks and said they were seriously looking at relocating it.
He said that they would have to find land to rebuild and relocate.
“But for now, as soon as PNG Power and Eda Ranu are done, connecting electricity and water supply into the new Bomana Barracks, we would start moving police officers in the Gordon barracks to settle in the new barracks.”
He said that the relocation would be done strictly on records of proper marital documents of officers.
Baki said he and the Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari had spoken with PNG Power and Eda Ranu last week “to connect water and electricity so that we can move officers by January and start doing demolition.”
Meanwhile, Baki said because of the misuse of water and electricity in other barracks that resulted in outstanding bills, he had asked the utility companies to install metres in the new barracks so that individual officers would be responsible for the bills.
Baki said in some barracks, officers paid for their own water and electricity.
“This kind of attitude shows responsibility and accountability,” he said.