By Theckla Gunga – EMTV News, Port Moresby
The police Internal Investigation Unit has been alerted on the police brutality incident that resulted in a young boy being run over.
In response to EMTV’s news story on the incident, IIU Director Robert Ali says the community at Mautana must lay a complaint and follow it through with IIU. This will help IIU officers to investigate and charge those alleged to have been involved.
The confrontation with police occurred two Sundays ago and resulted in at least 15 people being badly injured.
The initial confrontation began from an argument over a piece of land located behind Mautana. The land that was allocated for a housing scheme for the police force.
On September 9th, a group of police officers in civilian clothes, came to Mautana to survey the land. An argument broke out when proper documents were not presented, and locals retaliated when they claim they saw the police officer who shot one of them take cover inside another vehicle. During the confrontation, a little boy was run over by a vehicle allegedly driven by the police officers.
While others were left with serious wounds and bruises. A formal complaint has since been laid at the Gerehu police station.
