Law-enforcing officers urged to abide by law

Main Stories, National
Source:
The National,Tuesday June 14th, 2016

Society will be law-abiding if the law-enforcing authorities are law- abiding, Judge Justice Panuel Mogish told police officers on Friday.
“That was the basis and respect,” he said.
Mogish addressed police officers at Bereina in Central on Friday and said: “I want to remind you police officers, soldiers and warders that the uniform you are wearing is not yours.
“It belongs to the seven million people of PNG. All the people have investments in the uniform you are wearing. It’s not your personal property.
“When you wear these uniforms, you must wear them with pride. All the citizens of PNG sit on your shoulder.
“Today we heard that police officers are misbehaving. They form Rambo units. We don’t need these types of things.
“Societies will be law-abiding if the law-enforcing authorities are law-abiding. That’s the basis. That’s respect.”
“So police officers, warders, soldiers when you are in uniform you must wear it well. You must respect the uniform. Respect the rights of the community.”
Mogish urged the community to respect the rule of law.
He thanked police officers at the Bereina police station for staging a parade to mark the first National Court sitting in Bereina this year.
A court-user forum was also conducted in Bereina last Friday by Justice Mogish.
He was impressed with attendance and the outcome of the court- user forum.
“We have students, public servants, community leaders and the people in the community and I am really impressed,” Mogish said.
“It’s an opportunity to come down to this level and talk to them in a way that they will feel comfortable and in a language that they can communicate.” He said a court-user forum was an initiative by the higher judiciary to address law and order issues and to engage community on how it can help address.