Police-people relationship looked at

National

By Rebecca Kuku
ACTING Police Commissioner David Manning wants to see an improvement in the relationship between police officers and the people they took an oath to serve.
“From time to time, there will be differences in how we approach the public and how the public perceive our actions,” he said.
“It’s about how we engage with the community, how we conduct ourselves when carrying out our duties and how we enforce the laws.”
On Friday, two people were allegedly shot to death by police at Erima during a clash with locals. A number of people including policemen, residents and commuters were injured.
People travelling through the area were attacked by Erima settlers, with a few private cars damaged.
On Sept 16, a betel nut vendor at Rainbow was allegedly killed by police. The next day, people protested outside the Boroko Police Station, demanding that the police officers involved be arrested.
One policeman has been arrested in relation to the killing of the vendor.
On Sept 19, people at Rainbow clashed with the police. Some people travelling through the area were attacked and their cars damaged.
Manning called for a change in attitude and behaviour both by the police officers and the people.
“We may not be able to eradicate all (the problems) at once but it is definitely the intention of the constabulary to do so in the near future,” he said.
“I intend to drive the change through effective leadership and discipline.”