Time to get rid of ‘blue wall of silence’

I CANNOT imagine how I would feel to see my son returning home with injuries from the hands of policemen.
As a policeman, I was disappointed to read the letter (The National, Nov 17) about a student who was mistreated by the police in Lae on Nov 7.
I would not dare do something like that to a child or anybody for that matter since I also have a child of that age.
It is outrageous to see the Lae metropolitan commander defen­ding his men with such a pathetic excuse.
We, policemen, cannot conti­nue with our appalling attitude.
We need to change.
To the hierarchies, the culture of “blue wall of silence” must be eradicated.
It is costing the department and the state a fortune.
Let us not be complacent and buy time to enjoy our perks and privileges at the expense of our people.
Don’t you feel guilty earning so much in a fortnight with so little output each day?
What a shame.
No wonder all our top brass in the constabulary are growing grey hairs and reluctant to move on despite passing retiring age because of the perks and privileges.
They also do not have the vision to chart the path of RPNGC during such trying times as most of them are from the old school.
Let’s have some sense of pa­triotism in the fight against crime.
In order to do that head-on, we need to have an organisation with a culture free of corruption.
RPNGC has its own policies and regulations, so use them to deal with crooked officers.
If the policies are outdated or have loop holes, correct them to give the force more teeth.
Restructuring the internal investigation unit as a command is good news to the constabulary.
It would not only boost its capacity to deal with disciplinary issues but discourage hierarchical red tape.
For a start, I think that is the way forward for the RPNGC.
To the parents of the child, register your complaint with the internal affairs unit in Port Moresby.
The number is 321 4125.
This unit has the teeth to bite.
I have seen unethical or should I say “raskol police” being disciplined and some even dismissed.
The majority of our policemen and women are good.
It’s only those few rats that needed to be exterminated.

Moresby cop
Port Moresby