Baki warns officers to use new vehicles with care

By JIMMY KALEBE
POLICE Commissioner Gari Baki yesterday cautioned his officers in Lae to take care of vehicles donated to them.
He said this during presentation of six new vehicles worth K1.5 million, funded from district services improvement programme funds, by Lae MP John Rosso.
The fleet consists of four Toyota Land Cruisers and two 25-seater buses.
All six vehicles were fitted with global positioning system (GPS) for monitoring purposes.
Baki said this was the first time for any one district in the country to support police with so many vehicles.
“Police department, over the past years, has had no funds to buy new vehicles for police use,” he said.
“With these vehicles, and others to come, you police officers should take extra care and look after these assets well.
“These vehicles are purposely for use to serve the public and not for personal use.”
Baki thanked Rosso and Lae City Authority board for the support.
Rosso told Lae police not to drink alcohol in the new vehicles or damage them.
“We need your help to look after the assets that are given,” he said.
“The vehicles are fitted with GPS and this would make it easier to track the vehicles and see if they are used for the purposes meant for.”
Rosso urged sectional police bosses in the command to be the first people to make sure the vehicles were used to serve the interests of the community.
Police Minister Jelta Wong said such assets came through hard work and urged police officers to take care of them and use them to serve the people.
“Don’t chew betel nuts or drink alcohol in police vehicles,” he said.
“Let us try to have positive public perceptions towards us by performing our duties as expected.”
Wong thanked Rosso and Lae City Authority board for the vehicles as well as other stakeholders for continuous support towards police work in Lae.