Police Commissioner Gari Baki took delivery of a brand new police station and a new police vehicle in Wapenamanda District of Enga Province last week.
The police station and vehicle were from the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) funds.
Commissioner Baki, Foreign Affairs Minister and local MP, Rimbink Pato, Assistant Commissioner of Police for logistic Tony Duwang and the Provincial Police Commander George Kakas, were in Wapenamanda to officially receive the new infrastructure and vehicle.
Two new police stations are still under construction in the Lower Lai and Tsak valley. Both buildings are expected to be completed before the end of June.
The people in the Tsak valley lived without a police station for the last 25 years after a tribal fight saw the closure of the station and withdrawal of police officers.
The Police Commissioner was pleased to see the local member and the people cooperate to bring police presence back into the Tsak valley.
He told the crowd that he was no stranger to Tsak valley because he spent his young days in the early 1970’s as the commanding officer of the Enga mobile squad. He was based in Konemanda to curb tribal fights in the valley.
During the visit the Tsak valley, a local councilor and landowner gave five hectares of land to the Police Department as an incentive to bring police services back into the valley.
Baki instructed Assistant Commissioner Duwang to immediately send his officers to survey the land boundaries and prepare the land to construct police barracks and other police facilities there.
At the Wapenamanda station, Commissioner Baki told the crowd to cooperate with electoral officials and security forces in the coming 2017 National General Elections, and make it their business to have a safe and free election.
Foreign Affairs Minister Pato has pledged his support behind the Law and Justice Sector to make Wapenamanda District a peaceful and safe place in Enga Province.
(Assistant Commissioner of Police for logistic, Tony Duwang, Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato, Police Commissioner Gari Baki and Enga Provincial Police Commander George Kakas in front of the new Wapenamanda police station)