Properties lost at police station

I REFER to The National’s report on the unlawful confiscation of property belonging to a man by a police officer in Gerehu and his subsequent criminal conviction.
I was a victim of such a coward policeman from the same station who confiscated my Blundestone boot and Alcatel Android phone both worth about K950.
It happened on New Year’s Eve of 2017 when I was suspected of stealing by false pretence and taken to Gerehu police station for interrogation.
Despite the lack of evidence, the minor crime detective arrested me based on a mere complaint, removed my clothes and other properties, and locked me up.
The next day, when I was about to be transferred to Boroko to await bail or court appearance, I asked the policeman to return my properties as I was moving to a different police station.
But the officer was reluctant to return my belongings and he told me that they would be kept at the station and I can only get them when I get out of jail.
I was confused on the procedure and knowing that I have the right to the safe keeping of my properties, frustrations boiled down inside me.
I was then escorted to Boroko station in a van as if I was already convicted of the alleged crime.
At Boroko station, the police officer who collected my particulars asked if I had any properties and I gave him the details of the belongings and told him that they were still in Gerehu police station with my arresting officer.
He was surprised and told me that the belongings were supposed to have been transferred to Boroko as they were my personal belongings.
Anyway, he told me that I can still claim my belongings after I get out of jail as long as I know the name of the arresting officer from Gerehu police station.
To cut to the chase, after six weeks of court appearances at the Waigani committal court, my case was struck out and the court ordered the refund of the court bail on Feb 28, 2017.
I then went to the Gerehu police station with the court order and requested to collect my boot and phone but I got a strange reply.
The arresting officer told me that the belongings are police exhibit and he will still keep them in his office until the case is fully investigated and file presented to the court. I was thinking what a dumb ass police officer, keeping private properties of a suspect as police exhibit.
My second and third attempts also failed and only got worse with the police officer threatening to detain me for loitering in the station.
I then sought legal advice from the Public Solicitor’s Office but the aid told me to forget about the properties and think about my freedom.
It is now almost three years and I have not received any information about my belongings.
I have fallen victim to police incompetency and I will still pursue this complaint through the Ombudsmen Commission for a fair outcome.

Mike’s Haro