Court orders investigation

THE Vanimo District Court has ordered West Sepik police and prison commanders to investigate police officers and warders for allegedly being involved with drug and arms smugglers.
“The court finds that policemen are being accused of selling ammunition from the Vanimo Police Station armoury and lending police-issued firearms to the public,” Magistrate Sasa Inkung said.
The court also discovered that warders were accused of collaborating with prisoners to smuggle drugs into the prison.
Magistrate Inkung said yesterday that the court had ordered the commanders of West Sepik police and the provincial jail, through the police prosecutor, to investigate their personnel.
The court issued the orders after fining Jonah Dunemis K700 for being in possession of a bullet and firearm.
Dunemis, 22, from Leitre village, Vanimo, told the court that a policeman in charge of the Vanimo Police Station armoury sold the bullet to him for K50 while another policeman at the same station had lent him the firearm.
The court ordered that the accused policemen be arrested and charged for their involvement.
Magistrate Inkung said the incident was serious as it showed that police personnel were breaking the law.
He said police raided Dunemis’ house last month at his village and confiscated the firearm and bullet after a tip off.
The same court also ordered the Vanimo jail commander to investigate warders involved in escorting prisoners from Aitape to Vanimo jail on July 18. The escort party was accused of allowing wilful murder remandees to carry marijuana on a dinghy after attending court in Aitape.
The marijuana was found on remandees Micah Husus, Titus Ravo, Peter Moab and Timothy Amos after a
routine check on their return to the jail. The remandees were charged with being in possession of marijuana and appeared before the court.