Officer charged for misusing car

National

A police officer attached to the police legal unit was charged last week for allegedly misusing his director’s official vehicle in Port Moresby.
The director was attending the Police Commissioner’s conference in Kimbe, West New Britain, last December when the suspect took his official vehicle out of a workshop and allegedly misused it, said Police Internal Affairs officer in charge of investigations, Senior Inspector Charles Winuan, yesterday.
Winuan said that the director had informed his staff officer to use his official vehicle to do administration runs.
“However, the staff officer noted some minor damages to the vehicle after another officer, also from the legal unit, had used it.
The director then advised the staff officer to bring the
vehicle to a workshop for repairs which he did.
However, Winuan said that the staff officer was surprised when he saw the suspect driving the vehicle two days after he had left it at the workshop.
“He enquired with the workshop management and was told that another police officer had removed it. The staff officer then informed the director who then reported the matter to the Waigani police station. They then removed the vehicle from the suspect,” he said.
Winuan said that the director was unhappy about his officer’s behaviour and advised the Internal Affairs detectives to arrest and charge the suspect.
“So we went to his house at the Gordon’s police barracks last Monday and arrested him and charged him with
one count of unlawful use of motor vehicle,” Winuan said.
“He is now out on bail and is expected to appear before the Committal court next week.”