The brutal attack on a University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) lecturer and three students last week will only deep the mistrust and fear people have against the police, Deputy Commissioner of Police Jim Andrews said in a statement.
He said instead of closing the gap, such incidences further derails and astray the trust and confidence people have in police. The police chief said: “I am very concerned over this incident and other continuous media reports of violence and human rights abuses levelled against the Constabulary.” University Lecturer Francis Essy sustained lacerations and a suspected skull fracture allegedly at the hands of some policemen at Manu Autoport Service Station in Port Moresby last Friday and the matter was prominently reported in the media. The media reports have drawn the ire of the police hierarchy and since then Mr Andrews has issued orders for NCD Central Commander Jerry Frank to investigate and take appropriate action against the policemen involved in the attack. While making a press statement over the weekend about the alleged police brutality, he said while the allegations are being investigated the four victims should write their statements and make a formal complaint with the Police Internal Affairs Directorate. He said it is disheartening to read such reports in the media but the exposure will also help the Constabulary to deal firmly with such cases. He said the incident caused by few policemen has again caused considerable damage to the organisation but it will not dampen the spirits of all loyal and dedicated members of the Constabulary scattered throughout the nation. He said the Constabulary records indicate that a total of 491 police personnel were served with Serious Disciplinary Orders (SDORs) and they were dismissed from service between 2007 and 2013. He said between 2007 and 2013 a total of 1,792 disciplinary cases were investigated and 353 of these cases were dismissed because the adjudicators found no evidence against the accused. 248 demotions were recorded within that period and 700 monetary fines were imposed against members charged with Minor Disciplinary Offences (MDORs). DCP Andrews said these statistics indicate that over the last seven years, the Internal Affairs Directorate had swiftly investigated all complaints made against members of the Constabulary and those found guilty were appropriately punished or reprimanded. He said allegations of police abuses reported in the media were already affecting the Constabulary’s public relations effort but the police hierarchy will continue to investigate and adjudicate such complaints. “The existing Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between the Constabulary and the Ombudsman Commission in 2007 removed the perception of bias, unfairness and mistrust. “This agreement empowers the two organisations to jointly investigate and adjudicate all public complaints on merit. “To restore public trust and faith in the organisation the Constabulary will continue to release statistics on all internal investigations in the media,” the chief of police operations said. PNG Facts/Post Courier
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