National security weak: Wenge

MOROBE Governor Luther Wenge says if a known wanted criminal can stand from a distance and verbally abuse and mock unarmed uniformed police officers, then it is a grave concern for the Government and the country.
“Such a scene is proof that the national security has deteriorated.
“I blame the police department and the Government,” he said.
Mr Wenge was referring to the mayhem at Nawaeb Lutheran High School (NLHS) which had resulted in the death of a student and the destruction of public properties.
Violence flared among students and residents last Saturday evening after three students jumped off a steep cliff in fear of their lives when being allegedly pursued  by school guards.
Mr Wenge found out that Situm police station personnel attending to the disturbance were powerless to do anything as the station was not armed.
According to Mr Wenge, some vigilantes near Nawaeb, headed by a known wanted criminal from Simbu province, were threatening police on their arrival at the scene because they knew the police were unarmed.
The headmaster’s house was burnt down by retaliating students, after one of the men they were after sought refuge in the house.
A man sustained serious knife wounds, and the rest of the student body and parents are currently in shock.
The police officers went directly to Mr Wenge’s residence at Nawaeb and reported the matter and requested help.
“This shows that the maintenance of law and order is very important, even the Defence Force and the CIS are in the same situation,” Mr Wenge said.