PNG police chief rejects Australian's rape and murder claims
Police management in Papua New Guinea has angrily dismissed claims by an Australian whistleblower that he witnessed extra-judicials killings by PNG police.
Transcript
Police management in Papua New Guinea has angrily dismissed claims by an Australian whistleblower that he witnessed extra-judicials killings by PNG police.
The unnamed man, an Australian Federal Police officer who served in PNG in 2013 and 2014, has been quoted in Australia saying he was shocked at the level of corruption and human rights abuse he witnessed during his tenure.
He has spoken of rapes, murder, and the burning of villages by PNG police.
The PNG police commissioner, Gari Baki, says the claims are rubbish and a pack of lies.
He has attacked the Australian media for the reports saying photographs used of an alleged shooting are a fabrication.
The chairman of Transparency PNG is Lawrence Stephens and Don Wiseman asked whether PNG police can be that bad.
LAWRENCE STEPHENS: When you ask a question like that; 'are they this bad?' you've got to first of all remember that there are very many fantastic people in the police force, but yes we are challenged and those challenges are very well documented, it's well known that the police - many police - behave badly in a number of circumstances. We have some difficult things that go on in Papua New Guinea, but it's documented and people are aware that police officers employed by private interests have on occasion been engaged in clearing land on behalf of businessmen or individual politicians or others. This is documented, this is known and police commissioners have been known to demand that the behaviour stops - we're aware of that. In the particular case, and a former Australian Federal Police officer claims it happened in Morobe, we don't have the details on that, but it is believable that police officers could be engaged by companies with an interest in getting what we call squatters off valuable land, and that happens in many places.
DON WISEMAN: So when Mr Baki says this is not true, police weren't involved, he's hiding behind the fact that these guys weren't actually employed as police at the time?
LS: I wouldn't say he's hiding behind it, he perhaps just doesn't know. He doesn't have that sort of information, it's not the sort of information that police officers pass on to the police commissioner, that they have been engaged by some other person to go and moonlight. So as far as the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary is concerned, they would argue 'no we weren't involved.' The fact that serving police officers could have been involved is another story and that would need to be addressed as well. It would be interesting to hear what the whistleblower thinks actually did happen in that case.
DW: An outsider would see it as somewhat surprising that if there were killings involved with a clearing of a settlement that there weren't members of that settlement who then came forward and made a complaint.
LS: Yep, and often it doesn't happen, often it does happen and the complaint appears to get lost and there are many instances of people losing their lives at the hands of public employees like the police. So it may seem strange but unfortunately it's the reality and again it's something that the country is fighting back or trying to fight back against and it's part of, I imagine, why we are engaging with organisations like the Australian Federal Police, trying to change the mindset which allows individual and groups of police officers to behave illegally, viciously if you like, when there are standards we should be trying to uphold. But I must add, Don, this is not just PNG, remember we're hearing stories like this from many other countries.
DW: This process in terms of trying to turn attitudes around has been going on for a pretty long time now, hasn't it? Are you seeing signs of improvement?
LS: With individuals, yes. With the general feeling amongst many serving officers of the police force, yes and I'd say that's right across the country. We do see signs that people have formed opinions which say that this is unacceptable and are prepared to fight back. But yes, changing people's mindsets is a tough call, it's been going on for a long time and it will continue to go on. If we don't continue, then it will get worse.
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