Court stops eviction at Gordon Police Barracks

By DAPHNE WANI
THE Waigani District Court has stopped the police hierarchy from evicting police and their families living at the Gordon single barracks in Port Moresby.
A restraining order was issued yesterday stopping them from harassing, intimidating, assaulting and threatening the occupants as well until a substantive hearing on Wednesday.
Magistrate Jimmy Tapat made the order against Chief Sergeant Jeffrey Sinewa in his capacity as NCD barracks commander, ACP Donald Yamasombi as the NCD-Central commander, Police Commissioner Gari Baki and the State.
Lawyer Jacob Kumbu, from Dusal and Associates is representing the families at Gordon barracks.
The order specifically restrained the hierarchy from removing tenants at Blocks 1, 2 and 3 respectively of the single barracks
The parties will return to court on Feb 28 for inter parte hearing on whether the court order will be set aside or continued.
Yamasombi on Wednesday told the families that the single quarters would be demolished as the blocks were condemned in 2015 by the NCDC health authorities.
“We have to carry out the eviction as there are some civilians who are not police officers and some officers from outside provinces who have come to Port Moresby at their own discretion and are also living in the single quarters blocks and have been using free water and electricity that is causing the police huge utility bills,” he said.
“But we will provide an alternative for our officers who are attached to the NCD and Central police stations or headquarters,” he said.
Police provided accommodation at Bomana for those at Gordon but not all of them could fit there.
Sinewa earlier revised the deadline and said those who did not move out until Sunday would be disciplined.
Water and power supply to the quarters were cut on Monday.