Kulunga slams police officers taking sides

National, Normal
Source:

The National,Friday 13 January 2012

POLICE Commissioner Tom Kulunga has expressed concern on how members of a disbanded police unit are operating with Somare-appointed police commissioner, Fred Yakasa.
Kulunga said the armed robbery respond unit had been “disbanded” and its members were supposed to be attending to other policing duties and not taking sides.
He said Yakasa had been demoted from his position as the acting deputy police commissioner (operations) and was supposed to take up his new role as
the assistant commissioner of Police Bougainville.
In a media conference yesterday at police headquarters in Konedobu, Kulunga said the behaviour of Yakasa and his men who refused to follow orders were “inappropriate”.
The Port Moresby based unit was under the command of Yakasa but was disarmed by Kulunga on Dec 16 when they prevented O’Neill from entering Government House.
When disarming them, Kulunga said the move was necessary to “maintain a good public perception” of the constabulary.
He said the unit had not been disbanded but “stepped-down until the current political upheaval is solved before they are re-commissioned”.
The 45-man team who were now living with Yakasa had their vehicles and firearms taken from them by Kulunga.