Police: 70 fights, 500 killed in Enga tribal clashes

POLICE say the 70 different tribal fights in Enga claimed 500 lives and damaged properties in the past three years.
Enga police commander acting Superintendent George Kakas revealed the statistics during the Enga Development Forum on law and order in Enga.
He told the forum which included Police Minister Jelta Wong, Justice Minister and Attorney-General Steven Davies and Civil Aviation Minister Alfred Manase that between 2014 and 2017, about 500 people were killed in tribal fighting.
He said law and order problems were complex and every time there was a problem, people quickly pointed fingers at the police.
He said police officers could not be present everywhere to deal with crime. And they had their own problems regarding accommodation, vehicle and other logistics support to worry about.
He said Enga Governor Peter Ipatas and the provincial executive council had bought 18 police vehicles in the past three years.
He did not receive any vehicle from the police department.
Kakas said the K20,000 allocated to him annually by the department was used to buy food for people remanded in cells.
He said there were two breakouts from the Wabag police cell this year. The first involved 30 prisoners from Enga who were being transported from Baisu jail to their court hearing.
He said the cell was overcrowded with 100 people locked up in a cell meant for just 20 people.