Appeal for resources as murder in Madang rises

ALMOST every day a person is murdered or critically injured in Madang, police said yesterday.
Madang police CID officer Steven Yalamu, who had been avoiding the release of confidential information on the rise of crime in town the last few weeks, was cornered by the media to speak up.
Yalamu was on duty with a policewoman and two men on Saturday night when they had to attend to a report of a young man who was allegedly beaten to death.
“We have no resources to carry out effective policing in the province,” he said.
“We lack vehicles, we don’t have fuel, computers, papers or ink to print reports and court files.
“A major setback is the long delay in completing the maintenance of the cell at Jomba police station,” he added.
Yalamu said whenever drunkards were detained, “they are either locked up in the cell until they are sober (to be released) or charged with committing a crime under the influence of alcohol”.
“This has not been the case since the closure of the cell. Drunkards are only warned and freed or despatched,” he added.
Yalamu said some of those freed allegedly went on to cause trouble resulting in murder or injury in a dispute or fight.
When met at Modilon hospital yesterday, Yalamu and other policemen could only watch with their heads lowered as the mother of the young man killed wept.
Yalamu said police were investigating the murder. Issach Faile said his son alledgedly went to visit some relatives near Yelso and were attacked by youths in the area.
“They beat him before an elderly man intervened and found that victim was his relative,” Yakamu added.
He said these kind of crime could have been prevented if police were fully resourced and were equipped with preventive plans.