Police ask for elders’ support

NEW Ireland police commander Chief Inspector Felix Nebanat has summoned village elders from Taskul and Lavongai, in New Hanover, to work with his team after issuing a week-long ultimatum.
This came after police made an appeal to the hotspot areas to surrender murder suspects following the recent deaths of two individuals from Taskul village.
“Since the island cannot access news due to lack of coverage, the very people that this message targets are unlikely to receive my message,” Nebanat said.
He said the only way to disseminate the message to the leaders was to call them into town as there was inadequate resources to conduct such exercise to and from the island.
A meeting was then facilitated by officer in-charge of community policing First Constable George Batia to establish the base of the conflict.
According to clan leaders of both parties, the Taskul killing claims to avenge the death of a father and son who were murdered over alleged sorcery accusations.
A call was made for a peace negotiation conducted by community police and peace officers but was unsuccessful when the party responsible for the previous killings failed to show up.
This then resulted in the Taskul killings.
In addition, the leaders said their people were tired of living in fear and anxiety, and being deprived of basic services wanted police to be deployed to resolve the case.
Meanwhile, Nebanat has assured the community that police would be reorganising using available resources to make insertion into Taskul once operation funds were secured.
At this time, all accomplices – approximately 40-50 men – have been called upon to surrender or face the full brunt of the law.