Reserve police officers charged with extortion

TWO reserve police officers attached to the National Capital District Commission have been arrested for allegedly extorting money from a mother and son they caught smuggling mustard.
A police statement said the two were in a private vehicle when they intercepted the mother and her son at Jackson Airport on Feb 12.
It was alleged that the mustard, used for chewing betel nut, had arrived on a flight.
The two officers allegedly received K1300 from the mother and her son.
They were arrested and charged with extortion by police officers and locked at the Boroko police station on Thursday.
City manager Bernard Kipit confirmed yesterday that the two were attached to NCDC’s Urban Safety Unit as reserve police officers.
Kipit said they allegedly committed the offence when they were off-duty, which was a breach of their rules of engagement.
“All the reserve police officers and others are duty-bound to lock offenders up at the commission’s own lock-up in Boroko pending formal charges by the District Court and not extorting offenders like this,” Kipit said.
He had recommended that they be sacked. He plans to institute a “one strike and you are out” policy in the unit.