Trigger-happy policeman charged in Western

By ARMSTRONG SAIYAMA
A POLICEMAN was arrested and charged in Balimo, Western, last Friday for allegedly firing shots and threatening people.
Provincial police commander Silva Sika said that constable Koivi Ako was arrested and charged by Daru police station commander Ricker Saiwa in Balimo town.
He said Ako was a Kerema-based policeman and was part of a police team from Gulf that was deployed to a logging site at Kamusi.
Sika said that Saiwa took the suspect to Daru.
Ako was alleged to be under the influence of alcohol and he fired several shots at Balimo district treasury office last week.
He was alleged to have threatened the Balimo town mayor Kave Biyama who had tried to stop him.
Sika said Ako had demanded the treasury office to pay the Kerema- based police officers.
“I don’t understand what job Ako and the Gulf policemen are doing for the state in Western,” he said.
Sika said the police officers must not be lured by money to conduct special operations out of their general duties.
 He said police officers had the professional code of conduct to follow in the performance of their duties.
“Some of the policemen seem to forget their code of conduct,” Sika said.
He said no policeman was above the law and urged the police officers to maintain their integrity.
Sika said the deployed troops for private escorts or private security duty in Western were subjected to his jurisdiction.
He said he would issue instructions to the logging company to get the Kerema-based officers back to Gulf.
Sika said that to maintain proper governance, the company must follow proper police protocol.
“The investors or developers in Western must see me to develop an MoU for the conditions of our members to operate in,” he said.
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