N’dranou wants betel nut traders to report assault by police

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
BETEL NUT traders in Port Moresby and Central are urged to report any assault by police, says National Capital District Metropolitan Superintendent Perou N’dranou.
Much concern has been raised by the Moresby North-East MP John Kaupa and Kairuku-Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo that betel nut buyers from Port Moresby and growers from Central are being harassed by police officers on the road when they travel to and from the provinces to buy or sell the nuts.
“My people always come to me and raise the concern that when they transport their betel nuts from Central into Port Moresby, police officers who put up roadblocks demand them money from both the people and the PMV operators in order for them to pass through, which is not right,” Isoaimo said.
He said sometimes his people had to give up all their money to the police on the highway.
“Most of the time, they end up at my doorsteps to ask for money and help to return home, which is not good.”
Kaupa said even people in the city who travelled up the Central highway to purchase betel nuts to sell, also received similar treatment.
“Betel nuts selling is the lifeline and a commodity for our unemployed people and the people of Central province to meet their basic needs and wants and police should not be doing that,” he said.
N’dranou responded to the claims of the two MPs that people needed to identify and report the police officers if they were being assaulted.
“We have mechanisms in place to investigate and deal with our officers if they step out of line,” N”dranou said.