Angry cops threaten to close stations

By KEVIN TEME
ANGRY police officers in Port Moresby have threatened to close down all police stations in the capital city if Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga failed to resolve their grievances.
They are angry because Kulunga has so far failed to meet with them and hear their demands following the assault on six NCD policemen on Monday by  officers from another unit. They have passed on a petition to Kulunga through NCD metropolitan commander Peter Guinness.
The officers from the NCD and Central said they would shut down the police stations if they did not receive any satisfactory response from Kulunga.
Five officers have been charged over the incident. There were no further arrests yesterday.
Some of the NCD and Central police officers had refused to turn up for work since the incident on Monday.
Today, the officers will shut all the police stations down if no positive respond is given by acting police commissioner Kulunga before close of business.
Yesterday, they stopped assistant deputy commissioner Simon Kauba, NCD metropolitan commander Supt Peter Guinness and NCD-Central Assistant Commissioner Francis Tokura from leaving Gordon’s police barracks.
But they allowed Kauba to leave after he promised them he would return with “good news”. He never returned.
It is also believed that no major crimes had been reported in the city.
Meanwhile, the officers are also angry over a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah in parliament on Tuesday that there was an illegal combined military force funded by politicians.