Six charged with burning car

National, Normal
Source:

The National,Thursday 22nd December 2011

By ALBERT KAMANI
UPNG journalism student
POLICE have charged six people from Irelya village, Enga, with allegedly burning a police vehicle there.
Provincial police commander Supt Martin Lakari said the suspects had been charged with arson,
mounting an illegal roadblock and stealing from a
police officer’s house.
Lakari said the six people had been picked last Friday from where they had blocked the road, charged and granted K1,000 bail each.
He said the suspects would appear in court after police had completed investigations.
Lakari said police would eventually round up everyone who had been involved in the incidents at Irelya and the Aipus barracks.
“I am appealing to the community leaders to be honest and hand in the rascals to minimise the law and order problems in the province,” he said.
Lakari said they had yet to work out the cost of damage.
He said the officer whose house had been broken into and his property ransacked was in Port Moresby.
He said the family of the policeman was not attacked but property like plates, spoons, pots, cooking utensils, clothes and television screen were stolen.
He said the majority of Engans were unhappy about the actions of the Irelya villagers.
Lakari said the people of Enga were appealing to the Irelya community to hand in the culprits to the police in Wabag.
Reports said the troublemakers were unhappy over the political stand-off between the Somare and O’Neill camps and the deployment of special police units in the province to provide security for politicians in Port Moresby.