By Theckla Gunga – EM TV News, Port Moresby
While thousands in Port Moresby have welcomed 2016 with excitement and hopes for a better life, a public servant will remember the first hours of January 1 rather differently.
During the New Year police patrol with the Dog Unit, the team captured what is believed to be the first road accident of 2016.
The incident involved a government registered vehicle and happened just minutes after midnight on the freeway next to Gordon’s Market.
The first police officers at the scene estimated that the incident had occurred just after midnight.
The public servant, believed to be under the influence of alcohol, was travelling towards Erima from Gordon’s when the accident occurred.
When EMTV News arrived at the scene, about 20 minutes after the accident, traffic officers were fixing the back tyres, which had come off when the accident occurred.
The vehicle was later towed to the Boroko Traffic Office.
Apart from their normal operations, the Dog Unit did special operations including foot beat patrols and random checks on vehicles.
Searches were also conducted on men whom the unit believed where drunk, and alcohol removed from their possession.
The unit patrolled Gerehu, Waigani, Morata and the Hohola residential areas.
While patrolling the Five Mile area, the unit arrived in time to prevent what could have been a car theft.
The unit then chased the suspect into the Five Mile settlement area both on foot and in vehicles. The suspect got away but police were able to prevent a car theft.
As of 2am in the morning, there were no major crimes reported to the Dog Unit.
