Somare calls for PPC sacking

 EAST Sepik Governor Sir Michael Somare has called on Police Minister Nixon Duban to sack the police commander in the province.

Sir Michael questioned Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in Parliament yesterday why a riot squad from Lae went to Wewak on Tuesday.

“The Prime Minister and the (Police) Commissioner are well aware of the situation in my province,” he said.

“It’s about time someone gave me the truth on this floor of Parliament.”

He was concerned that the police commander in East Sepik was not working and tried to arrest the deputy commander and confiscate his vehicle. Sir Michael said police in the province were out of control and he wanted the police commander sacked. O’Neill, who responded on behalf of Duban who was not present in Parliament, said he was not aware of the deployment of a riot squad to Wewak.

He said it was a police operation issue. He assured Sir Michael that he would advise Duban to take the matter up with the commissioner and have it investigated.

He said neither he nor Duban had any power to interfere with the work of police which was an independent institution.