Cops are beggars – Eluh

The police force is surviving on borrowed money and is grinding to a halt, a senior police officer has said.Departing Western Highlands provincial police commander Thomas Eluh (pictured right) said this week that allowances received by provincial police commanders were “a joke”.Chief Superintendent Eluh said due to financial constraints, many sections of the police force were dying out. “There are no vehicles and fuel because there’s no funding.

Many police units are dying. That’s the real situation. Unless we improve funding, the force is dying. We’re surviving by begging and borrowing. “The K1000 to K2000 monthly allowance to PPC’s is a joke. A lot of police are paying for fuel and photocopying from their own pockets,” Chief Supt Eluh said in his address to policemen and women at his farewell parade at Kimininga Barracks. He said this opened the door to corrupt practices by officers and the force needed to address the issue immediately.

The police force is surviving on borrowed money and is grinding to a halt, a senior police officer has said. Departing Western Highlands provincial police commander Thomas Eluh (pictured right) said this week that allowances received by provincial police commanders were “a joke”.Chief Superintendent Eluh said due to financial constraints, many sections of the police force were dying out

Referring to the Western Highlands Province itself, he said police work was very difficult and needed a concerted and co-ordinated effort but it was made even worse when funding was inadequate.The chief superintendent, who was replaced by Chief Inspector Kaiglo Ambane, said the force was the only well oiled and co-ordinated organisation in the country but was falling apart due to blunders that should be addressed. “It’s up to you and me as officers of the force who swore to police the country’s laws to keep that promise.“Let’s work even harder regardless of the lack in funds or problems that hamper our performances,” Mr Eluh told the men and women he headed for over a year.

Lack of funds has been a major issue for provincial police stations in the highlands region for some years.“This has led to some units relying on private business houses and individuals to provide fuel for vehicles, which the police hierarchy says compromises the work of the police in carrying out its duties,” Supt Eluh said. “If we allow the officers to take money out of their own pockets to purchase essentials that are needed to do government work, then we have a serious problem. This opens the door to corrupt practices.”Insp Ambane urged all officers to back him in enforcing the law regardless of the hiccups in their working environment.


Source: By JOHNNY POIYA of the Post Courier


*** The police hierarchy and the minister responsible for the police operations should be held accountable for these situations if these situations in the police department are true. I also think that Somare and his bunch of ministers are not doing enough to eradicate some of these major problems.

So often, I hear and read that there is a lot of money sitting idle in the so called trust accounts but nobody wants to draw these funds to use it in meaningful purposes. When they are drawn from these accounts, they end up in pockets of politicians and their cohorts with no tangible developments taking place which the monies are intended for to be used. This again is setting a bad precedent for our donors, business community, and those of us who love PNG very much. God bless PNG!