East Sepik people criticise police unit

THE conduct of a special police unit comprising reserve and auxiliary officers has been criticised by people in East Sepik.
They are questioning the use of excessive force on suspects when making arrests.
And a citizen who condemned the officers’ approach in dealing with alleged lawbreakers has registered a complaint of police brutality with the Wewak police station.
East Sepik provincial police commander Vincent Pokas could not be reached for comment as he was in Port Moresby on official duty.
Antonia Tapukun of Yarapi village, outside Wewak, claimed the police unit known as “ID 24 or Nogat Taim” raided the village last month looking for suspects in a reported armed robbery.
He said they severely bashed up her son and a policeman’s son.
She said police went to the extreme of stripping them, mocked and whipped them with softball bats.
She said the two were beaten until the bats broke.
Tapukun alleged that firearms were discharged, resulting in her son being admitted to the Wewak General Hospital with pellet wounds on his leg.
She asked if auxillary police personnel were allowed to carry firearms and perform normal police duties at major police stations.
A former provincial police commander and the man who first implemented the community policing concept, Leo Kabilo said the objective of the concept was for the auxiliaries to act as the ears and eyes of police in their respective communities.
He said the primary objective had been defeated as those members had left their villages, settlements and communities to serve as regular policemen in town and other locations like logging sites and guarding business premises while others “are driving around in police vehicles and carrying firearms”.