PNG Police Commissioner Post: Tokura, Baki to meet

July 10, 2019 The National, By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK

ACTING Police Commissioner Francis Tokura wants to sit down with Gari Baki to discuss the recent changing of the guard in the constabulary involving the two of them and others.

“We are career police officers and we must not have any ill-feelings regarding the National Executive Council (NEC) decision,” he told The National last weekend.

“I’m planning to see Baki this week about all these latest appointments.”
He said he heard that he had been appointed acting police commissioner for three months but was yet to see the gazettal notice on that.

“I will have to go to police headquarters to see if there is a gazettal notice about my appointment.”

Police Minister Bryan Kramer last Friday had instructed Baki to vacate the police commissioner’s office because his contract had expired in May. Also to leave with Baki are his two deputies, assistant commissioners Raphael Huafolo (administration) and Jim Andrews (operations) whose contracts had expired.

Replacing them are assistant commissioners Joanne Clarkson (administration) and Peter Guinness (operations).

It could not be confirmed yesterday whether Tokura, who was in charge of the Bougainville Police Service and Baki had already met in Port Moresby.

Both men could not be contacted for a comment yesterday.

Kramer said Tokura had told him earlier that he would be meeting Baki at the police headquarters in Port Moresby.

“Tokura has advised me to move in yesterday (Monday) and meet with Baki,” he said.

Kramer said yesterday he had not received any information that the two had met.

Baki said last Sunday he would obtain a restraining order from the court to stop his removal.

He did not respond yesterday to questions sent to him on that issue.

Kramer said he had not received any such order from the court as of yesterday.

He invited anyone wishing to lodge a complaint over the appointment of Tokura as acting commissioner, plus Clarkson and Guinness as his deputies, to do so.

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via IFTTT July 11, 2019 at 06:55AM

Row over top post

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK, The National PNG

POLICE Minister Bryan Kramer, on legal advice from State lawyers, has instructed Gari Baki to vacate the police commissioner’s office as his contract had expired in May.

He has appointed Deputy Commissioner Francis Tokura, currently the Bougainville Police Service commander, to be the acting police commissioner.
Tokura will be assisted by assistant police commissioners Joanne Clarkson (administration) and Peter Guinness (operations).

Kramer said Baki’s contract had expired on May 7 thus “he was illegally in office” as there had been no gazettal notice authorising him to act in the position.

“I got the advice from the Attorney-General’s office (last) Thursday and that made me instruct him to leave the office (last) Friday,” he said.
He informed Baki in writing.

“My letter to him was based on the advice I got from the Attorney-General’s office. The advice was that there was no existing appointment (to let Baki continue as commissioner),” Kramer said.

“Former Police Minister Jelta Wong never extended his (contract in an) acting position. Baki himself told me that the National Executive Council had never reappointed him. He made reference to some gazette notice which I’m not aware of.”

Kramer also welcomed Baki’s plan to take the matter to court.

“Even he goes to court, that would not put him back in the office,” he said.
“He is over the (retirement) age and he is no longer a member of the force.”
Kramer said the terms for deputy police commissioners Raphael Huafolo (administration) and Jim Andrews (operations) expired on July 4.

“He (Baki) himself issued the notice that both his deputies’ contracts have expired.”

Meanwhile, Baki plans to take the matter to court.

“The reason for my decision is because as far as the senior police leadership and I are concerned, due and established processes for appointments were not followed by Police Minister Bryan Kramer (in the appointments of Tokura, Guinness and Clarkson),” Baki said.

“At the outset, let me state for the record that this action is not intended in any way to discredit the three officers who have been appointed in acting capacities.

“They are experienced police officers who are more than qualified to occupy these offices.

This action is taken to protect them as well as the other senior officers of the constabulary.”

Baki questioned why the Government did not appoint Tokura, Clarkson and Guinness to substantive positions instead of in acting capacities.

“All appointments whether temporary or substantive shall be made by the Head of State, acting with and in accordance with the advice of the National Executive Council given after consultation with the Public Service Commission and any appropriate Permanent Parliament Committee, which in this case is the Permanent Parliament Appointments Committee,” he said.

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via IFTTT July 08, 2019 at 03:38PM

Kramer condemns Baki

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK, The National PNG

POLICE Minister Bryan Kramer, pictured, has accused Police Commissioner Gari Baki of protecting “corrupt politicians” by sitting on their files and not investigating them in the past four years.

He was responding to Baki’s statement yesterday that he had the files of 40 MPs on both sides of the House to investigate.

Kramer said: “He has been sitting on the files and protecting corrupt politicians. And now he wants to investigate them.

Where was he all these years? He has those files all this time. In fact there were more complaints against MPs during his time in office and he has been interfering with and frustrating investigations. He had four years to do that.”

Kramer said Baki should have delegated the investigations of the MPs to other qualified senior officers.

“There are other police officers who can investigate these MPs for alleged fraud or alleged official corruption,” he said.

He said investigation into the 40 MPs “will still proceed”.

Kramer also defended Francis Tokura’s appointment as acting Police Commissioner “in the best interest of Bougainville and Papua New Guinea”.

“His appointment was on merit and to provide stability for a peaceful outcome during the referendum,” he said.

Baki however claimed that the change in police leadership was to “protect those in power”.

“We have investigation files on some 40 MPs in Government and Opposition,” he said.

“This includes a good number of ministers in cabinet. Will the Government give us the support and cooperation to prosecute these cases?.” He said the constabulary was only as good as political masters.

“The issue is political will, determination, genuine desire to fight corruption and support for the constabulary,” Baki said.

He said he and his two deputy police commissioners were preparing to exit the police service.

“We are not fighting to hold onto office. But we want to see the police force and officers protected. We want to see the police force free from political manipulation and interference.”

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via IFTTT July 08, 2019 at 03:35PM

Officers told to serve Constitution, not Govt

By MALINDA KALE, The National PNG

POLICE officers must serve the Constitution and not the Government, says Police Minister Bryan Kramer.

He told the 28 cadet officers including six females to be commissioned during a parade at Bomana, Port Moresby last Friday that the Government did not create the positions of police officers.

“The position is created in the Constitution and it is the constitution you should serve,” he said.

He said the Government wanted to improve discipline and command in the constabulary “by depoliticising (it) so that officers can do their job provided under the constitution”.

“I have observed many commissioners and senior officers talking about serving the Government. A police officer is to serve the constitution (which) serves the 8.5 million people of Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“It is the constitution that you will serve.”

He planned to stop political interference into the functions of the constabulary.

“During our term in Government, that practice will change.”

Kramer pointed out that most people were more afraid of the police than criminals.

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via IFTTT July 08, 2019 at 03:31PM

Government planning to improve police force

THE Government is working on a policy submission to improve and modernise the police force through merit-based appointments and through an upgraded two-year diplomat police training programme.

Prime Minister James Marape said during question time in Parliament that Police Minister Bryan Kramer was now working on two important policy submissions to change the way the police force had been operating in the country.

Marape said they would bring a submission to allow police personnel to undergo two years of fulltime police training and not the routine six months.
He said there would also be performance-based appointments to the constabulary’s rank and file and it would start from the top.

Marape said the commissioner, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and officers down the line would be selected through an advertisement and selection process.

“The minister will advertise all the positions and people will apply and get appointed,” he said.

The Prime Minister was responding to questions without notice from East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, who wanted to know what plans the Government had to address the increase in violence (both domestic violence and in general) that was a leading cases of admissions and referrals in hospitals throughout the country.

Bird, who was the former East Sepik health authority chairman said the Boram hospital and other hospitals throughout the country including the Port Moresby General Hospital, treated a high number of violence-related cases daily.

He said many of the injured had wounds inflicted by the use bush knives, grass knives and even catapults.

Bird said if the issue of violence was not addressed then it would become a serious issue in the country, and wanted the Government to undertake a bipartisan approach although Parliament had passed the law to increase penalty for such offences, but nothing had been done to date and police could not even address violence.

Marape said there was nothing wrong with the laws as there are good laws in place ,but the enforcement of the laws was a major problem.

He said he always stressed the need for men to take more responsibility and to protect women.

“The issue is common and prevalent. Laws have been passed and I appeal to every police man and women to bring those perpetrators.

Source: The national png

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via IFTTT July 05, 2019 at 01:19PM

PM Sogavare acknowledges all for peace and calm