Missing gun found in Goilala village

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
Police-issued firearm that went missing from Malalaua police officers in Gulf was found in the Goilala district in Central, acting Gulf police commander Inspector Michael Pakyei says.
“The gun went missing for two weeks and was recovered in the Nokoro village of the  Kunimaipa local level government during a police raid,” he said.
“Police officers went up the Lakekamu River and crossed into Central and raided Nokoro village.”
But Pakyei said that despite the recovery of the firearm, he was still unhappy with his police officers at Malalaua police station.
“They were careless because the firearm went missing when they were drunk during official hours,” he said.
“I’m suspecting that they must have got bribed by illegal loggers and got drunk. They were also drinking with suspects. The suspects saw that they were heavily drinking and they snuck into a police officer’s house and stole the firearm.”
Pakyei said that there was also fighting among the officers at Malalaua station.
“The officers there are not happy with the station commander and are not cooperating with him.  There is a lack of command there and so the officers tend to become carless.”
Pakyei said that he had asked all the officers to provide a show-cause letter to him about their behaviour and why the firearm went missing.
Pakyei said that the officers had attended to a complaint from villagers that there was illegal logging going on.
“The officers then attended to the complaint and rounded up the illegal loggers and questioned them but they then released the loggers. I don’t know on what grounds they released them.”