Five members of the Lae police have been suspended from duties after allegations of their involvement in the death of a man whose body was found at the Raun Wara area in Lae on Monday.
This comes after relatives and eye witnesses came forward claiming that the deceased from Sinesine, had drowned when he and two other men were forced to swim across the swamp by these police men.
The Lae Metropolitan police commander, Anthony Wagambie junior and other officers in charge of CID, Internal Investigation and Commander sector response went down to Raun Wara and met up with relatives and community members of Kapiak street.
They claimed that a group of drunken policemen in a hired vehicle went to Kapiak Street between 7pm-8pm on Saturday and picked up the deceased and two other men taking them away in a Brown Ten Seater vehicle bearing the registration number LBQ 611.
Wagambie said, “We have identified the vehicle used as well as the accused members who were reportedly part of a team assisting to retrieve Provincial Government vehicles”.
“However their operations were questioned as they were not reporting on their engagement’, Wagambie says.
Wagambie said that he had directed for this to be reviewed because he was not happy with their conduct and question their tasking and the nature of the duties that they were carrying out.
He said, “I will not entertain any outside arrangements for use of police unless it comes under our (Lae Police) control. This is to ensure command and control and discipline”.
“As of 1.30pm, the vehicle used has been grounded; the identified team which has been operating in isolation has been disbanded and disarmed.
“Under suspension, they are not allowed anywhere near the Police Station or to interfere with witnesses. Their suspension now allows the eyewitnesses to come forward to Police.
“CID will be dealing with this case and I call upon witnesses to come forward.
“I assure the community at Kapiak Street that, we are dealing with this and call for their cooperation with investigators,” Wagambie appealed.
He also commended the community members and relatives for coming forward and assured them that no one is above the law and this case will be dealt with diligently.
Meanwhile, Wagambie has also clarified rumors and allegations that the policemen involved are not part of the sector response unit.