Port Moresby police have obtained a search warrant to obtain medical reports of the UPNG students who were injured during the standoff between students and police on June 8.
This is part of an internal investigation into the incident. The search warrant had already been served to the Port Moresby General Hospital
The police internal investigation is different from the government’s Commission of Inquiry.
It is hoping to determine whether the injuries the students sustained came from bullets fired by police.
The investigation had already commenced but was delayed because police could not access these medical documents.
“We cannot access the documents from the Port Moresby General Hospital because medical reports are considered private documents. So what we have done is that we’ve obtained a search warrant to get the medical documents. The search warrants have already been served to the hospital,” Commissioner Gari Baki said.
On June 8 police personnel opened fire at UPNG students to disperse the crowd from marching to Parliament House.
Their march was to be a demonstration of their demand for Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, to step down due to allegations levelled against him.
At least four UPNG students were seriously injured in the standoff and received medical treatment at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
However, Commissioner Baki said police are yet to collect statements from the injured students.
“We are yet to get statements from the students because after they were treated, they went to their home provinces,” Baki said
This is one of the three internal investigations into police shootings in Port Moresby, and Baki says it will take some months for the investigation to be completed.
