Police officer arrested as PPC Simbu warns other officers
A police constable attached to the Kundiawa police station was arrested and charged with stealing K500 from a man he had detained while failing to provide a bail receipt when asked by the man.
On a later date, the same police officer, while on duty, swore at the wife of the man from whom he allegedly stole K500 when she approached him at the police station.
Simbu Provincial Police Commander Mazuc Rubiang in a statement said the police officer has disrespected the uniform he was wearing by committing more than one offense, and therefor he was arrested and charged by the Simbu Internal Affairs on two counts of threatening words.
According to the police report, it was alleged that between February 21st and 24th 2025, the police constable arrested a schoolteacher for an offense the policeman thought he had committed and brought him to the police station, where he detained him.
PPC Rubiang said, after detaining the teacher, he asked the primary school teacher to pay K200 so he could release him, and the remaining balance of K300 can be given to him while he was out.
“The civilian who knows little about police procedures gave K200 to the police constable, and he was released. On the next day, February 24, 2025, he brought in the remaining balance of K300 and gave it to the police officers, expecting a bail receipt from them, but that did not happen.
"The man also asked the police officer when he would appear in court, but that did not happen either. The teacher then wrote to me regarding this, so I referred the matter to the Internal Affairs Unit, which registered their complaint and called the victim in to obtain their statement and have the policeman arrested and charged,” PPC Rubiang said.
He further added that the wife of the complainant, who was following up on the money and the case, was also sworn at by the same police officer at the police station and was advised to lay a formal complaint, for which he was also charged for using offensive language.
PPC Rubiang said there are many such cases happening in the country where police officers extort money from the public under the pretext of arresting and charging them but later receive money and release the suspects.
He stated that the arrest of the police constable here in Kundiawa must serve as a warning to other police officers and to the public that there are laws in place to discipline such officers.
“There are many cases where police officers pick up random people who commit offenses, which the police officers should follow the right process of charging them for the alleged offenses. Instead, they extort money from them and let them go.
"They later go on social media and post defamatory content about the police officers, which is not good. If you are a victim of such actions, report it to the police management so they can deal with their officers accordingly.
"We are trying our best to discipline our officers, so the public should help us do better. If you and I do not work together, the young police officers will think it is normal, and they will continue to do that. Report them to us so we can weed out the ill-disciplined officers,” Rubiang said.
Meanwhile the police officer in question has been refused bail he is now detained in the police cell awaiting his court date.