Joint police op to track down Porgera arsonists

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
A COMBINED police operation is being carried out in Porgera, Enga, to arrest those involved in the burning down of a police building.
Provincial police commander Martin Lakari said from Porgera yesterday that police mobile squads 5, 10, a task force and local police were involved in the special operation to track down the arsonists.
Lakari said if people could raze the police traffic, community policing and criminal investigations building at Paiam police station, other buildings and public facilities in the district were no longer safe. He said it was a direct attack on the police force.
“To prevent further similar cases, I am appealing to the law-abiding citizens in Paiam and Porgera to come forward and provide information to the police on the whereabouts of the suspects,” he said.
Lakari said the police needed help from the local communities and other stakeholders to arrest those involved in the arson last Thursday.
He appealed to the community not to harbour and protect criminals.
“The people you are now protecting will still be involved in criminal activities and give more trouble to the community and create social problems back at home,” he said.
Lakari said some suspects were known to the police but they had gone into hiding.
He said no one had been arrested so far but police expected to make some arrests soon. Paiam has a new police station commander in Insp David Kungua who replaced Snr Sgt Poko Letapu. Lakari urged the 23 policemen in Paiam to support Kungua to maintain order in the district.
He said for some years, Paiam police did not have a permanent police station commander.
He thanked highlands police divisional commander Teddy Tei for appointing a permanent officer to look after the police station.