Alarming turn of events shocks city

 SENIOR officers of the De­fence and Police forces should be commended for their quick actions in quelling a highly volatile situation in the National Capital District on Saturday.

What started as a drunken brawl outside a nightclub in Boroko almost turned into a full-scale battle between the two disciplined forces.

The capital city was put on full alert on Saturday morning as armed police cordoned off all entry points to Boroko Police Station while soldiers blocked off the nearby Murray Barracks.

The standoff forced business houses in the central Boroko, 4-Mile and 3-Mile areas to close in fear of reprisals.

Amid the confusion, opportunists took advantage  of the lack of security to loot shops in Boroko and 3-Mile.

Heavy traffic was diverted for several hours as senior police and military officers, which included De­fence acting chief of staff Col Vagi Oala and Deputy Police Commissioner operations Jim Andrews, negotiated an amicable solution.

By midday they had rea­ched agreement on setting up a joint task force to investigate the confrontation.

While the senior officers were tight-lipped on details of the standoff, Andrews said the investigation team, which comprised senior police and military officers, had drawn up terms of reference that would guide them and unveil the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

“I want to assure the business community that every effort is being made between senior police and military officials to lawfully and amicably resolve this issue.”

Andrews appealed to police and military personnel to exercise restraint and allow for a proper investigation.

“We must not use our dif­ferences to undermine the rule of law which we, as servicemen and women, have sworn an oath to uphold.

“Our duty is to protect the lives and properties of our people and not to be a threat to ourselves.”

Andrews made this particular remark which should be strictly adhered to by all rank and file members of both disciplined forces: “I want to make one point very clear here in this conference – the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary belong to the people of Papua New Guinea, not to individual soldiers or policemen.”

It is encouraging to note the police and defence forces have given their assurance that peace between the two disciplinary forces will prevail in the lead-up to and during the 2015 Pacific Games.

Andrews and Oala said the most important event of next year would go ahead as planned without any interruptions.

Oala said the police/military standoff did not augur well for Papua New Guinea in the lead-up to the Pacific Games. “That’s the reason why we are not taking it lightly. We’re taking this kind of approach to do a combined effort and bring those who are responsible to justice.”

Had it not been for the efforts of senior police and military officers like Andrews and Oala, the capital city could have been turned into a war zone as the police and army engaged in real combat.

The likely consequences are frightening as both forces are heavily armed, especially the Defence Force.

Hopefully, law-abiding people in this city and other centres will not have to face another similar situation, which places the onus on the joint forces investigation team to conduct a thorough probe and ensure those responsible for causing the trouble are punished or disciplined.

We agree with Vagi the latest incident does not augur well for the country. Moreover, it drags the reputations of both disciplined forces further into the mud.

Police brutality incidents occur regularly in Port Moresby, Lae and other major centres. 

The military have had their fair share of trouble involving rogue soldiers.

In all these incidents, the victims are ordinary folks who get caught up by the wrong arm of the law.

The police and defence hierarchies have been trying to clean up their acts with little or no success as rogue cops and soldiers continue to prey on crime suspects and even innocent people.

Indiscipline will remain a contentious issue until both forces effectively deal with it.