Police warned after assault claim

Highlands

Eastern Highlands police found to be operating outside their assigned tasks will be dealt with accordingly, says provincial police commander Alex N’Drasal.
He said this after some police officers acting for the provincial government allegedly assaulted a senior public servant and removed his official vehicle last Thursday.
Provincial civil works director Nick Gopave was allegedly attacked by policemen at Faniufa outside Goroka as he was preparing to travel home.
Gopave said police assaulted him and removed the keys to his vehicle bought two months ago when Governor Peter Numu had taken up office.
N’Drasal said there was no police order for such action which he deemed “illegal and criminal in nature”.
He said he did not authorise any such orders for police to round up public servants using government vehicles. “Those policemen engaged in impounding vehicles and
machines were operating outside police operational orders,” N’Drasal  said.
“Any policemen operating outside operational orders and going around terrorising, assaulting, harassing and abusing people will be dealt with accordingly.”
He said only five Kainantu-based policemen were assigned to provide security for Numu.
He said they were not supposed to be doing other things apart from providing security.