Roadblock spot fines ‘illegal’

NATIONAL Capital District traffic police director Joe Joseph says police officers have no right to demand cash from people at roadblocks outside of Port Moresby.
Joseph said the erecting of roadblocks by the Highway patrol officers along the highway was part of the traffic police operations to identify unroadworthy vehicles and conduct safety awareness.
He said serious accidents were caused by defective vehicles.
“So the officers’ duty are to check vehicles or expired licence and direct them to the responsible authority for service or licence renewing, but in regards to charging the operator, it is illegal.”
Bravo Samuel, a PMV driver representing other operators on the Hiritano Highway, had raised concerns that fines of between K500 and K1000 were being imposed on them by the officers of the Highway patrol and dog unit at roadblocks.
“Few policemen from the Highway patrol and dog unit have continued to abuse our rights. They took our PMV permits, our buai bags then asked us to pay fines,” Samuel said.
“We have our permit to sell betel nuts at the designated market at Tete, the officers violate this permit saying ‘its outdated’, they put us on gun point and took us to 8-Mile buai market for questioning then demanding us for payment,” Samuel said.