Officer arrested for threatening to burn down building

National

A Madang policeman has been arrested and charged with threatening to burn down the Madang provincial government complex, including Governor Peter Yama’s office.
Madang police commander Ben Neneo said the officer, who was under the influence of alcohol, threatened to burn down the complex on Thursday.
Neneo said security guards on duty reported the matter to police, who immediately arrested the officer.
He said the officer was arrested and charged for issuing threatening words and was released on bail.
It is understood that the officer was not happy with the delay in the repatriation of the body of a policeman, who died two months ago and whose body is still at a funeral home in Lae.
Neneo said they were still waiting for funeral warrants to be released before they could take the body to his home in Chimbu.
He said that did not give the policeman reason to threaten to commit arson.
Neneo said he would not tolerate having police officers harassing people in public while they were under the influence of alcohol.
“People coming across such police officers must report them to me or the police internal investigation unit,”he said.
Neneo said that many people had taken police officers to court for brutality and other abuses.
He said another senior policeman was suspended and was under investigation after a woman complained that she was assaulted.
“We don’t entertain such actions and I don’t like any one of my policemen to do that,” he said.