Police brutality

Letters

This is another story of police brutality.
We were at Gaire village, in Central, at 12.30am on July 21 when we were assaulted by members of the PNG Royal Constablary in uniform. They obviously had been drinking.
We were on our way to Ganimarupu Village, Rigo, for funeral and burial services.
We had managed to hire only one vehicles, from Kekeimo, and unfortunately got it overloaded with about 30 people, mainly because it was a kind of emergency situation.
We left Port Moresby and were heading to the village when we came across a white 10-seater Toyota vehicle labelled Highway Patrol ZPD 550 at Gaire village.
The police officers ordered our driver to stop and five of the so-called law-abiding officers came forward and gave orders to those sitting and standing at back of the vehicle to get down.
As the passengers got off, the officers harassed and punched them.
They swore at them and kicked them.
The mothers begged the police officers politely to stop. The officers turned on them and swore and threw cooked rice at mothers, children and those who were on the PMV. The officers then punched the driver, the crew and confiscated their licences and permits.
Is this the way police officers are trained to behave, especially against defenceless Papua New Guinea citizens?

Leva Jimmy
Ganimarupu Village,
Rigo
Central