Governor wants cops out

WEST Sepik Governor Tony Wouwou has urged the police hierarchy to withdraw all Port Moresby-based police officers who are currently based in Vanimo.
The call followed an incident recently involving the assault and illegal taking of fees from vanilla buyers from the two Sepik provinces who were in Vanimo to sell their produce.
Wouwou said the act by the Port Moresby-based police personnel was uncalled for and was unprofessional, adding that the vanilla buyers were the people that needed to be protected.
According to reports, vanilla buyers from Wosera, Dreikikier and Nuku were in Vanimo recently to sell their vanilla beans when they were approached by the police officers who demanded to be paid.
When the buyers refused, the officers confiscated their beans.
It was alleged that about 500kg of vanilla beans were forcefully taken from a house at the Forestry compound in Vanimo after the driver of the vehicle the buyers were travelling in was assaulted and the house looted.
Wouwou said the incident was brought to his attention when the buyers had put down numerous reports but no action was taken.
He said there had also been complaints of some of these police personnel illegally taking money from vanilla buyers and this needed to stop immediately.
Wouwou called on Police Commissioner David Manning to immediately withdraw the police officers from Vanimo.
He added that Vanimo town was one of the safest and quietest places in PNG and he would work to maintain that and would not tolerate unlawful and malicious acts.