Peter Guinness

Guinness said despite the ending of the State of Emergency, police are still monitoring the looted items due to the ongoing investigation into the civil unrest on the 10^th of January, 2024.

He said police will only raid houses if they receive reports relating to the looted items.

Guinness said police retrieved a total of K60,000 cash buried underground at Six Mile last week, believed to be stolen from an ATM machine during the civil unrest.

 He said another K400,000 was retrieved from the ATM at Waigani.

Voters get frustrated after standing in line for hours, just to find out that their right to vote has been deprived.

They then turn on polling officials and create disturbances, forcing the police to try to bring the situation under control.

“So many of them in Lae city, the majority of the population in Lae city, their names were not on the common roll,” he stated.

“Em displa em kosim bikpla problem. Em i no problem blo mipla. (This caused a lot of problems. It is not our problem.)

ACP Guinness said they had difficulties in securing funds to support additional police personnel to accompany the body of the late Mobile Squad 15 member, Senior Constable Bati Guza, to Daru.

He commended the Bulolo MP and Deputy Prime Minister, Sam Basil, and his District Development Authority (DDA) for making it possible for additional MS15 personnel to farewell their colleague for the last time.

The body of the late Senior Constable Guza was laid to rest at his Mur village, Ward 2 area, of Oriomo-Bituri Rural LLG in the South Fly electorate of Western Province.

Assistant Commissioner of Police for Northern Command, Peter Guinness, said police have arrested nine suspects and interviewed six of them already.

After the remaining three are interviewed, police will move on to the second phase of their investigation, which will lead to more arrests.

“They know who they are,” he said. And when the time comes, we’ll call them to come for an interview and they can then go through the process,” said the ACP.

The ACP stressed that regardless of one’s social status, all are equal under the law.

His statement follows the re-arrest of eight Madang officials implicated in the misappropriation of K6 million belonging to the Manam Resettlement Authority.

“There is no class, we cannot differentiate between high status in community and grassroots,” he stated.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Peter Guinness, said drivers must adhere to their company policies when transporting essential goods into the highlands as police will not tolerate their non-compliance.

“Drivers and the owners of the big trucks must take heed of orders that have been made. There is no excuse of being ignorant and arrogant,” said ACP Guinness.

The conflict reportedly stemmed from the appointment of a school principal, which did not go down well with some members of the community.

Other government services were also shut down until community leaders agreed to restore peace and normalcy while police continue to do regular visits.

Assistant Commissioner Guinness made this known when he launched the Obura-Wonenara (O-Wan) Tactical Response Unit at Kainantu in Eastern Highlands Province last week.

Guinness said this is a new concept being introduced in the Eastern part of Eastern Highlands. He said another unit will be established later in Goroka to cater for the Western end.

Every police personnel must practise leading roles within the establishment and begin taking into consideration the principles of discipline within every facet of their policing operations.

 This was made known to a discipline workshop recently by ACP Guinness.

 He told the course participants, mostly from the Lae Metropolitan and Morobe Provincial Police Command, that they must take some hard yards when it comes to leadership and management their own sections or units.

This was confirmed by Police Minister Jelta Wong today.

This will boost manpower on ground to deal with the current tense situtaion that followed a standoff between youth and police on Saturday. 

The personnel are expected to depart at 10pm tonight and reach Madang by first light.

They have briefed them on tactics to use at tree felling locations and rules of engagement.

Wong said from their assessment tomorrow morning, they will decide whether or not to request air support for surveillance and insertion to certain locations in the province.