Give power to police to make arrests: Cop

POLICE must have the power to arrest and charge small craft owners and operators who put lives at risk with their dangerous and negligent behaviour, a senior police officer says.
Madang police commander Acting Supt Mazuc Rubiang said this after an incident where two boats collided at sea near Madang Airport last Thursday.
Supt Rubiang said there had been incidents involving boats over the last two weeks that had raised concerns that laws governing maritime safety were inadequate.
He said Madang, as a maritime province, had reported many deaths involving small boats.
Supt Rubiang said local authorities had formed a committee responsible for dealing with small crafts but it was not supported by any laws that it could use to regulate boat operators who were ignoring National Maritime Safety Authority orders.
“Water police officers and other officers attended to incidents involving boats but they need a law in place to arrest and charge those operators overloading, speeding, or are involved in criminal activities,” he said.
Supt Rubiang said a lone boat skipper headed for Panutibun ran into a boat fully loaded with passengers heading towards Ulifun village.
He said no one was injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, Supt Rubiang said, in updated information on Monday’s boat capsizing near Madang town, that the craft had been overloaded with 26 passengers when it capsized near Bilbil Island.
Three deaths were reported with one male passenger missing while two infants were among the 22 survivors.