Police put under strain

 By BENNY GETENG

THE manhunt for prison escapees in the country has put a strain on police operations and resources, a senior police officer said.

Madang provincial police commander Supt Sylvester Kalaut was commenting on operations conducted in the province to re-capture the escapees. 

“How can we cut down on law and order issues in the province and at the same time track down escapees?” he asked.

He said more than 49 convicted people “walked out of the Beon jail” in Madang this year forcing police to assign some officers to help in their recapture.

He said the failure of Correctional Service officers to properly manage their facilities had put pressure on police manpower and resources. 

Out of the 49 escapees, only 10 have been recaptured. Kalaut is appealing to the public to assist police in tracking down the escapees.

He thanked the Madang provincial government for paying for the hire of vehicles to be used by police during the operations. So far it has gone over K100,000.