ACP TURI DECLARES POLICE SERVICE BACK IN POREPORENA VILLAGES AFTER 14 YEARS

AFTER fourteen long years without police presence in the Poreporena area of Motu Koitabu Assembly, specifically the Hanuabada village, Assistant Police Commissioner of NCD Central Command, Commander Benjamin Turi today declared to the people and community that police service will return to the village.

The ban on police presence was informal however eventuated following a dreadful event that saw lives and properties lost from a confrontation between locals and police, resulting in the informal ban on police presence in the village.

Today Hanuabada is known as a hub for producing and sales of illicit substances as homebrew or “faia wara” as it is locally known.

Lawlessness has increased, and other problems associated has also rise due to no order.

Chairman of the Motu Koitaka Assembly Mr Russel Wavik initiated a gathering today at the Metoreia women’s fellowship hall at Hanuabada to address this issue with the community and the authority including Police Minister Sir John Pundari, ACP Benjamin Turi,, NCD Metsup Warick Simitab, NCD Governor Powes Parkop, Moresby Northwest MP Lohia Boe Samuel and members of the Moti Koita Assembly.

The dialogue was to look at resolutions to bringing back police service to the area and also for the authorities to consider those whose lives were lost and affected during the confrontation.

ACP Turi assured the people of Hanuabada to bring back police presence in the area and also call for cooperation amongst the people in the community and the police.

Police Minister Sir John Pundari was also present to listen to the people’s concerns following the tragic incident in 2014 and assured the people of his commitment as minister to support this initiative and address the people’s pleas for an establishment of a police station and also to deploy more police manpower to support the reserve police of Motu Koitabu Assembly.

Minister Pundari stressed that social order is in the best interest of everyone and the police belongs to the people of Papua New Guinea, and keeping the police service out is injustice to the people.

He said Police officers take an oath to serve with integrity, and he urged the people to respect the police regardless of whatever happens.

One of the resolutions reached in this dialogue as announced by the NCD Governor Powes Parkop and also supported by the Police Minister Sir John Pundari was for a reconciliation ceremony between the police and the community in Poreporena which is scheduled for next month.