Police monitoring Waigani killings
Police in the National Capital District and Central provinces are hard at work to ensure that the murder and arson incident at Waigani in the early hours of Monday morning does not escalate to other parts of the city and Central province.
The commander of NCD/Central, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Turi, has confirmed that police officers from both NCD and Central have been tasked to monitor the command and ensure that nothing like this happens again.
He said the investigators are doing their job to firstly identify the deceased, obtain statements from possible eyewitnesses, and create a file that will guide them in further investigations.
Commander Turi said the report is sketchy because the Engans and the Goilala's who were involved are yet to come forward to provide statements on what really happened that led to the death and destruction of the market.
He said there are many social media posts regarding this incident which are misleading.
Police are also working to verify and provide updates to the public.
Commander Turi added that police officers in Central are patrolling their areas of operation in Central Province and have confirmed that there are no roadblocks along the Hiritano Highway, contrary to social media posts.
He also said police units in the city are monitoring possible locations where they think either group may meet to cause trouble in the Waigani killings.
Commander Turi said it’s an unfortunate situation that has caused many people to suffer, as vendors have lost their food to sell in the market, and buyers now have to travel to other places to do their shopping
“I want to assure the public that the situation at Waigani is under control, and my police officers, along with other support units, are hard at work to ensure the city is safe. My call now to the city residents is to respect each other.
"Port Moresby City is Papua New Guinea, and it is not a village where people move around in ethnic groups to harm others and cause trouble in the city. We have noted that many people are moving into the city every day, making policing a challenge for us daily,” Turi said.
He further added that the number of unemployed people has increased in the city, which has led to criminal activities.
He said police have limited powers to control the movement of these people coming into the city.
He said our leaders in the upper hand must see the everyday challenges that police officers face while dealing with these people and address them.
“I do not want my police officers to correct these unemployed people and get blamed for correcting them because most of them do not know the basic laws on how to respect others who are living in the city.
"Awareness after awareness is made, but people do not listen; that is why we see people losing lives and properties. The incident that started at Waigani involved unemployed people asking a security guard for money, and when they received a negative response, they attacked him, which led to the destruction of properties and lives lost,” Turi said.
Commander Turi also commended police officers for their efforts to quickly respond, carry out the investigation, and maintain their presence in the command.