Police impersonator threatens Waigani vendor

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday 27th January 2012

POLICE in Port Moresby say a man driving a black Ford Ranger around the city and demanding free goods from street vendors is not a police officer.
The 4-Mile traffic police station officer-in-charge Philip Koliadi said the vehicle, registration CAW 883, belonged to a private Port Moresby-based firm called DA FORCE Ltd.
The man is believed to be an employee of the firm.
He identified the owner of the vehicle after The National witnessed the man travelling in the vehicle threatening a street vendor with a gun to giving him a free cigarette.
Tagu Tedewa of Southern Highlands was selling betelnuts and cigarettes at Waigani on Wednesday morning when a man in civilian clothes armed with a pistol stepped out from an unmarked black vehicle and demanded that he stop selling his betelnuts and cigarettes.
Tedewa said he had an empty cigarette packet on display and when the person saw that the packet was empty he threatened to shoot him before kicking his items and scattering them on the ground.
“Em tok yu salim buai ya, mi bai sutim yu sapos mi laik sutim yu, mi police ya (He said you are selling betelnut, I will shoot you if I want to, I am a police officer),” he said.
Tedewa said the man looked like he was under the influence of alcohol.
Some eyewitnesses at the scene said they had seen the same person threaten other street vendors before.