Baki clarifies changes in police hierarchy

POLICE Commissioner Gari Baki has responded to NCD Governor Powes Parkop’s disapproval of the changes in the NCD police command by saying that the changes are  necessary to improve the level of policing services and efficiency not only in NCD but also in the country.
In a letter addressed to Parkop yesterday, Baki said that while Parkop’s concern was primarily for NCD and its 500,000 people, he (Baki) was more concerned about the country and its six million people.
Current law and order challenges as well as challenges that the country was anticipating as in the LNG project necessitates repositioning of police personnel, Baki said.
He said that it was he who had put together the NCD police command in the first place and they had lived up to his trust and confidence.
“They have done a tremendous job,” he said.
Baki said he had replaced the former Central/NCD division commander assistant commissioner Awan Sete with assistant commissioner Fred Sheekiot, adding that Sete had a pivotal role to pay elsewhere in the country.  
In the changes, NCD metropolitan commander  Chief Supt Fred Yakasa was not affected and still remained the NCD chief but Chief Insp Fred Namora replaces Chief Supt Andy Bawa as the NCD operations superintendent.
Baki explained that Bawa was suspended over official corruption charges.
Baki assured Parkop that the changes in the command would not in any way hamper investigations into the high-profile case of William Kapris.
The police chief said the force had highly trained and committed investigators who are handling the case and he had great confidence in them.
Baki also said that Parkop was wrong in levelling a serious allegation at the NCD criminal investigations division officer in charge Chief Insp Ben Turi in Wednesday’s report.