Policeman seriously hurt in road accident

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
One police officer sustained serious injuries and two others escaped with minor injuries in an accident involving a vehicle hired for general election operations in Port Moresby.
Metropolitan commander Superintendent Benjamin Turi told The National yesterday:
“They have disobeyed my instruction to return the vehicle on Monday because polling was  deferred to Friday. Instead, they got drunk and misused the vehicle and crashed it into a drain at Gerehu in the early hours of  Wednesday).”
Turi said that the officer with serious injury was  admitted to the Port Moresby General Hospital. “The trio will be reprimanded for disobeying instructions and for damaging the vehicle,” he said.
Turi said the 30 vehicles donated by the Chinese government for police to use for election operations were sitting idle at the Bomana Police College.
“That’s why we have to hire 30 vehicles at a cost of K500 each per day. We were supposed to hire them for three days starting on Monday for a total of K45,000,” he said.
“But since that polling has been deferred to Friday, we will have these vehicles for another three days.
“And by the end of the polling, we will pay the hire car firms K90,000.
“The bill will be footed by the election coordination centre at the police headquarters in Konedobu.”
Turi also said the centre would also have to pay  security allowances for the reservists and auxiliary police officers who would be engaged for election duties tomorrow. Meanwhile, police intercepted a stolen vehicle at Gerehu roundabout on Tuesday.
“The vehicle was stolen at the Gerehu Shopping Centre.”