Paska: Rot splits cops

THE rot in the police force created by politicians led to the assault on a group of officers by their colleagues from another unit, a trade union leader has claimed.
Trade Union Congress general secretary John Paska blamed politicians with vested interests and “big cash” for splitting the
police force on the eve of the general election.
Paska raised his concern as the government and the police hierarchy tried yesterday to defuse the tension among the police officers from the National Capital District and the unit deployed from the highlands to help monitor law and order in the capital city.
A group of NCD officers were assaulted by their colleagues from the highlands around noon on Monday at Gordon.
They were later dumped at the Boroko police station. At least five were spotting injuries yesterday from the incident. Money and personal belongings were taken from them.
The injured officers had sent a petition to Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga demanding, among other things, that:
lAn immediate investigation be carried out on the assault and the officers involved be disciplined;
lThe officers from the highlands be immediately sent back to their stations; and
lA satisfactory resolution be found to avoid a stand-off between the two groups.
Paska said it was apparent that police from Mt Hagen, Western Highlands province, were not brought into Port Moresby to safeguard citizens but to serve political purposes.
He said the congress strongly condemned the violence that took place and saw the assault of the police as a violation of their civil liberty to work in a safe working place.
He said it was completely unacceptable, inexcusable and intolerable to see police fight each other when their line of duty required them to protect one another.
“Every policemen and policewomen should support each other,” he said.
“Politicians will come and go. They use police and dump them without caring for their welfare.”
Paska said the in-fighting had left many households and investors at risk.
The group of NCD officers gave their 16-point petition to metropolitan commander Supt Peter Guinness in the absence of Kulunga.
Also present were NCD/Central assistant commissioner Francis Tokura and CID chief Mark Yangen.
A spokesman for the angry officers said: “There are no renegade policemen in NCD.
“And those deployed here, whose command have they taken to do such brutality among their own comrades?”
He said they should be sent back to their respective provinces and a full investigation be carried out to bring them to justice as soon as possible.
“We will not be deployed to other parts of the region during the election period if those involved are not brought to justice and sent back to where they have come from,” the spokesman said in front of his superior officers.
Police Minister John Boito assured parliament yesterday that he would present a ministerial statement on the incident involving NCD police and the highlands-based policemen in the city.
He had instructed the police hierarchy, including the metropolitan command, to talk to the two factions of police and resolve the matter.
Kulunga told a press conference in Konedobu that he could not comment on the incident because it was under investigation.
Supt Andy Bawa tried to defuse the tension yesterday and told the angry officers to return to the barracks at Gordon.