Police preparing team to probe killing, rioting

ACTING Deputy Police Comm Donald Yamasombi is preparing a team to be sent to Madang to investigate the killing of a policeman and rioting.
“The team will consist of criminal investigation detectives, internal affairs detectives and mobile squads. The detectives will be investigating the death of the police officer and the burning down of the Mildas market and other properties.
“The internal affairs detectives will investigate reports of Madang-based police officers assisting the relatives of the dead officer to attack and burn down houses within the neighbourhood of the suspects. The mobile squad officers will assist the detectives and at the same time to help the local police maintain law and order during the investigations.”
Yamasombi said Lae and Goroka-based mobile squads would be given priority to be deployed while detectives would be sourced from throughout the country. He said they were preparing the team after Police Minister Bryan Kramer, who had witnessed the burning of homes in a settlement near Madang town last Friday, wanted to see those involved, including police officers, investigated.
The late Const Franko Horaki, 27, of Eastern Highlands and Chimbu, was killed at a market in town allegedly by a group of youths.
In retaliation, his relatives and some policemen raided the settlement at Wagol and burnt down homes, leaving more than 100 families homeless.
Kramer wrote on his social media page that police officers should have focused on arresting the suspects and not burn down homes. “Unfortunately, a number of ill-disciplined officers decided to carry out an unlawful raid on a settlement, assaulting innocent men and women causing 105 families to be homeless,” he said.
Kramer arrived in Madang last Friday morning to attend a district development authority board meeting. He said he went to the settlement and saw a group of 30 men, face painted black, armed with bush knives and iron rods walking along the road.
“They were in the company of police officers, one armed with an assault rifle escorting them back to Mildas market.”