Officer arrested for stealing

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
POLICE in Gulf lured a community police officer (CPO) to Kerema to collect outstanding Covid-19 state of emergency allowance and arrested him for allegedly stealing another officer’s allowance, acting Southern police commander Chief Supt John Maru says.
“The suspect allegedly stole K1,400 in allowances from fellow CPO for SOE Covid-19 operations in Kaintiba local level government,” Chief Supt Maru said.
He said the officer’s supervisors at the provincial police headquarters in Kerema withheld K3,000 of his allowances and when he came into town to enquire about it, he was arrested and charged for misappropriation and stealing.
The officer is out on a K500 bail and will face the committal process at the District Court.
Chief Supt Maru said yesterday that the officer had collected his fellow officer’s allowance from their supervisors on April 4 at Kaintiba station after his friend failed to collect it.
“The suspect promised their supervisor that he would give his fellow officer’s allowance when he came to the station,” he said.
“However, the suspect did not give his friend’s allowance when his friend enquired for it the next day at the station.
“His friend notified their supervisors.
“So when the suspect came to Kerema last week to pick up his outstanding allowances, he was arrested and charged.”