PPC: Cops facing rape charges

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
SIX policemen are under investigation for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 27-year-old woman in Western’s Daru last Tuesday, Acting South Fly commander Sr Insp Ewai Segi says.
“The policemen allegedly took the woman from the Samari settlement at about 9pm to the back of the airport where she was raped,” he said.
“The woman has already lodged a police report against the policemen. They will be dealt with criminally and administratively upon the conclusion of the investigations.
“The Daru police station commander and the Office-in-Charge of Internal Investigation Unit were instructed last week to conduct a thorough investigation because the case is now of public concern and interest.”
Sr Insp Segi said the case was about individual policemen going rogue and tarnishing the image of the force.
“They will have to be dealt with individually,” he said.
“We have 64 hard working policemen serving in Daru’s remote areas along the Papua New Guinea-Australian-Indonesian borders. They serve in Suki, Weam, Bula, More Head and in the Middle Fly (Tapila and Balimo) under extreme conditions and situations.
“Unfortunately due to the deteriorating police houses in those outstations, they have returned to Daru town and are working from town. And now we have the Daru police barracks condemned by the provincial health authority.
“They had successfully arrested and investigate the kidnapping of an expatriate and local employees of a logging company in Kamusi.
“They have tracked the suspects’ right into the remote areas along the borders of Western, Southern Highland and Hela.
“And, we have to date secured 32 convictions on the kidnappers after bringing them to Daru from Balimo. Now that the legal year in Daru is open and with the National Court residential judge and the residential district magistrate, we can now clear the backlog of cases.”
This is the second case in a month Sr Insp Segi had to take action against errant policemen under his charge.
A policeman was suspended for 21 days last month for damaging a police station after being ordered not to drive a police vehicle.