Correctional Service Commissioner

About 17 detainees dashed for freedom between 10 and 10.30am during visiting hours on Sunday 19th January.

An officer and a convicted detainee lost their lives during the breakout when detainees climbed over the waiting area fence and ran for freedom. The officer was rushed to the ANGAU General Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Correctional Service Commissioner, Stephen Pokanis, said over the years, similar incidents have occurred whilst calls for help to the government have fallen on deaf ears.

Present to formally welcome the newly appointed CS Commissioner was the CS Minister Chris Nangoi, who said the decision to appoint the commissioner was based on merit.

“I am honoured to work alongside him and his senior executive team, Commanding Officers and Officers,” stated the Minister.

“I will support him to fulfil the vision and mission priorities outlined in the Marape-Steven priorities for the Social and Law and Justice Sector, and the Correctional Service Plan for Modernization 2019-2022.”

This comes after the call made by Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill declaring a total ban on the prisoners leave of absence.

This came into effect on the 05th of January 2018, along with further instructions issued yesterday in a statement by Correctional Service Commissioner, Michael Waipo.

The Commissioner confirmed that the CS officers were sent to hospitals to remove and transport all prisoners and detainees back to the Bomana Correctional Institute.

The prisoners’ Leave of Absence (LOA) is guarded by the provisions of Section 101 of the Correctional Service Act which allows an inmate to take leave from the institution for any one particular reason.

This means taking a LOA for any particular needs as and when they have them, especially for medical reasons.

Correctional Service Commissioner, Michael Waipo, made this clarification in response to a media report today about convicted prisoners being seen around walking freely in the city.

Correctional Service Commissioner Michael Waipo said the team is ready and will head to Lae once funds are made available.

The team will be led by the deputy for cooperate affair as well as the facility operations officer.

Waipo gave the assurance that police are still working around the clock to catch the loose criminals.

Meanwhile, over 500 CS officers will soon be deployed nationwide after the launch of election security operations in Mt Hagen a week ago.

Correctional Service Commissioner, Michael Waipo said this but commended all prison officers in the country who continue to serve with pride in their respective prisons.

He said that an investigative report into Boram Prison breakout on New Years’ Day in Wewak will soon be completed.

Waipo said according to police at the time of breakout, the inmates used a pair of pliers to cut through the fence to make their escape.

He added out of the 29 inmates that broke out, two prisoners were shot dead in the process of recapturing them whilst 10 of them are still at large.

JSC first workshop training after its launching was held at Igam Barracks in Lae, Morobe Province.

This is the first time after more than 36 years that the JSC training workshop is being held after it was shelved.

The same training workshop is being conducted at the Correctional Service Training College for officers from the three disciplinary forces involving the forces regulations and laws as well as operations and functions of the JSC.

Justice Collin Makail in a ruling this afternoon upheld the Judicial Review filed by Waipo reinstating him to the position he held before Feb 9 this year.

He ordered that the revocation of Waipo’s appointment on Feb 9 as Commissioner and the appointment of acting Commissioner Bernard Nepo “is of no legal effect” and quashed the NEC decision No.15/2016. 

He found that reinstatement would be the appropriate remedy for the judicial review proceeding because Waipo still has two and a half years to serve till his term expired in Sept 2018.