Police commander denies knowledge of deployment

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
SOUTH Fly police commander Supt Brian Kombe is unaware of the arrangement of the deployment of mobile squad officers from Port Moresby.
Kombe told The National this when news of the alleged killing of a five-year-old child by four mobile squad police officers in Western went public.
“I am not aware of that alleged killing of the child and the deployment of mobile squad officers to the remote area of the province,” he said.
“The deployment of the mobile squad officers is an arrangement with a company and the Southern Police Command in Port Moresby”.
According to sources, on Aug 25 around 3pm, a woman was gambling (bingo) with others at a location near Panakawa.
A policeman and two community-based policemen arrived at the scene and were trying to disperse the gamblers.
Somehow, a police firearm was accidentally discharged.
The three officers attending to the gamblers were deployed from Port Moresby to the area on July 26 to attend to a number of unrelated complaints including drugs, assault and bodily harm.
The body of the boy was transported to Daru for post-mortem by air charter on Monday.
Kombe said he had raised concerns numerous times of the engagement of the mobile squad officers.
“I as the commander on the ground should be involved in this arrangement,” he said.
“But my concern has always been brushed aside at the police headquarters in Port Moresby.”
In a separate incident, a suspect has been detained at the police station for allegedly killing a man last Saturday at about 6.30pm at Parama settlement in Daru.
“Both men were drunk and an argument broke out. The suspect punched the man in his chest causing him to collapse and died on the spot,” Kombe said.
Kombe also said another two suspects were arrested for alleged gang-rape of a 20-year-old-woman at Wirimadu Kona settlement last week.
“They threatened her with a scissors and allegedly raped her,” he said.
“Four suspects who are known are still at large.”