Police families divided over house occupancy

Almost all tenants from the Gordons police barracks single quarters started moving up to the proposed new barracks at Bomana since Monday this week.

This morning, a commotion aroused at the new barracks which saw some families fighting over some houses.

Some families who were not on the tenancy list to reside in a house had gone up to Bomana earlier this week to occupy house whilst those that were on the tenancy list missed out on getting a house.

Loop PNG talked to a family that had gone up this morning to Bomana only to find out later that their proposed home was already occupied by another family who had gone up earlier this week to claim it.

This resulted in an argument between the two families when the tenant whose name was on the list tried to remove the illegal tenant.

According to the Officer In Charge of the single quarters at Gordons barracks, Jeffery Simewa, only those whose names were on the tenancy list were given a house up at the new barracks on condition that they were a nuclear family.

 Commissioner for Police, Gari Baki confirmed that those were his directives so long as the police men and women were legally married, had a nuclear family and their names were on the tenancy list. He also directed both the Metropolitan Superintendent and NCD/ Central Commander to make sure these procedures were followed.

A visit this afternoon saw most of the houses fully occupied with residents cleaning up outside their homes.

It is expected that water and power will soon be connected to the barracks after Commissioner Baki talks to the CEO for both Eda Ranu and PNG Power later in the coming weeks.

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Author: 
Annette Kora