Baki: No joint investigation into Alotau incident

POLICE Commissioner Gari Baki has confirmed that there will be no joint investigation into the Alotau incident which has left three people dead and 10 houses burnt to the ground.
He said police would carry out their own internal investigation into the reported actions of its officers in Alotau over the last few months.
Baki said he was responsible for management of the constabulary and would ensure that police respected the rights of the public while carrying out their constitutionally-mandated duties.
Meanwhile, Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Davis Steven said the Public-Solicitor had been tasked to attend to any grievances the public may have about police actions over the last two weeks in Alotau.
The Public-Solicitor’s Office in Alotau is calling on the public to bring forward their grievances on human rights beaches and illegal activities of police or any other agency since the incident began.
Steven said although he did not condone crime and supported police in the work of protecting citizens and bringing in offenders, unlawful actions by policemen against innocent citizens and their legal rights could not be ignored.
He said it was the constitutional role of the Public-Solicitor to defend the public.
“The same laws protect us all,” Steven said.
“That is the rule of law that underpins our democracy.”