Police silent on chopper’s mission

By ELLEN TIAMU
THE police “Eye in the Sky” helicopter has for a long while been missing from the skies and said to be undergoing repairs.
This week the Lae public was surprised to spot the state-owned aircraft sitting in the Golden Valley Enterprise premises.
When contacted yesterday a female receptionist at the company said she was unsure what the helicopter was doing there and referred The National to the Helifix Group of Companies.
The police commissioner’s chief executive officer, Andrew Sterns, said the helicopter was on special operation in Lae.
Police chief Tom Kulunga confirmed this, saying helicopter company Helifix was leasing it out to clients in Lae.
Kulunga said the original pilot had taken leave and was out of the country and Helifix was organising a stand-in pilot to fly the aircraft.
He said Police Minister John Boito would be using the helicopter for official business this weekend.
Calls to Helifix for verification yesterday went unanswered.