Police officers investigated for shooting, wounding boy

By SYLVESTER WEMURU
A GROUP of police officers in Wewak, East Sepik, are being investigated for wounding a boy on Saturday morning.
The incident happened between 1am and 2am on Saturday. The boy is believed to be between five and 10 years old.
East Sepik police commander Supt Albert Beli said it was alleged that the officers were under the influence of liquor when they approached the Saksak Compound and fired shots into the house where the small boy was sleeping and wounded him.
He said the same group went past a checkpoint at Kaltex without being checked by police on duty that night.
He said an investigation had started with statements having been collected from the boy’s relatives and policemen on duty.
Supt Beli said investigation would also determine if the vehicle used belonged to police or a private vehicle and if the operation was legal.
“Police officers must not take the state of emergency (SOE) to do anything that they want to do,” he said.
“We are guided by the law and we must work according to that and must not go out of hand.”
Beli said the majority of police officers in the province were doing their duty which included carrying out Covid-19 awareness and enforcing the state of emergency rules and restrictions.
He condemned the group of officers who had gotten drunk during SOE, especially during a national and provincial liquor ban.
Beli said police personnel were part of the front line in limiting the spread of Covid-19 and this type of behaviour was unprofessional.