No fuel for Oro police

By JUNIOR UKAHA
POLICE operations in Northern province came to a standstill last Friday after the fuel supply to the Constabulary was cut-off, a top police official in the province said.
Fuel supplier, Islands Petroleum refused to supply diesel and petrol to police vehicles because it had not been paid by the police headquarters in Port Moresby.
Provincial police chief Victor Isouve said he had written to the headquarters but had yet to receive a respond.
“We have got complaints from people in the province but we cannot attend because there is no fuel for our vehicles,” he said.
Isouve said they could not attend to complaints of piracy from the Milne Bay-Oro and Morobe-Oro border because they had no boats.
He said he had asked the provincial administration to help police with fuel and was awaiting a response.
“We owe K56,472.70 to Gee Hire Cars,” he said.
He said the bill was for repair and service work done on the six police vehicles from May to July.
Isouve said since no new vehicles were given to them they had to service the fleet they had to use for election security and general duties.
Attempts to get Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga to comment on this issue were unsuccessful.