Top cop issues stern warning after officer charged with robbery

POLICE officers who are allegedly serving two masters are warned to refrain from their illegal activities or they will face the full force of the law.
Assistant Commissioner for Police and Commander for Highlands Division Simon Kauba issued the stern warning yesterday to officers who are allegedly involved in criminal activities by hiding behind the police uniform.
He issued the warning in Mt Hagen after police arrested and charged a Mt Hagen-based police officer with attempted robbery and murder.
ACP Kauba said: “If you want to serve the police force, do so. You cannot serve two master at the same time. You better resign …
“For so long, police officers involved in criminal activities thought the Government and police hierarchy are not aware of their criminal activities. We have reports of such crooks in the force.”
“The Government has long arms and will catch them sooner or later and prosecute them,” Mr Kauba told The National.
He said the public had been led to believe that the police hierarchy was not doing enough to bring crooked police officers to justice.
“But this time, we are not tolerating it anymore,” he said.
Phil Undavba, 37 from Tufi in Oro province, was arrested last Friday in his barracks home in Mt Hagen for attempted robbery and wilful murder of security guard Jeffery Sine last year.
A police brief obtained by The National stated that Phil was arrested and charged with planning, organising and supplying police issued high-powered firearms to eight other gang members in the attempted robbery involving a Mainland Holding warehouse at Dobell outside Mt Hagen in September last year.
The brief stated that Undavba and another accomplice were arrested and charged with attempted robbery and wilful murder of Sine while seven others are still under investigation.