DEAR EDITOR, this is a response to the media statement by the acting police commissioner titled ‘come forward with evidence’. Relatives of the person that burnt the police ray-boat and 40Hp engine at Karie village, East Wainoni, San Cristobal on June 6 will present evidences of reckless harming and physical abuse in due course at timing convenient to us.
The impartiality of your Police Professional Standard and Internal Investigation is doubtful after RAMSI left, seeing your aggressive media cover up of mistreatments on suspects.
How independent and neutral will the Police Professional and Internal Investigation you laughably recommended us to forward our evidences to, when this case involves burning of your ray-boat and engine? However, it will be handed to your good office once it is ready.
We respect the police’s duty to arrest suspects and bring them to court, that’s the job you are being entrusted and paid to do from public purse.
The suspect cannot just burn police properties like that, he has his own reasons.
Case one. The suspect was not happy with Kirakira Police because they failed to carry out a court decision for the people who killed his pigs pay him compensation if not police to confiscate their properties to sell to cover the cost of his pigs.
Kirakira police failed to carry out that order. He made all attempts by writing letters to the PPC, sending verbal request about that case and appeared in person at Kirakira police but with no respond.
Case two. The suspect was so concerned about one of his relatives who went missing in a canoe trip from Waimapuru to Kirakira station in February 2018.
The incident happened on a fine day at about 11am to 12 midday.
Surprisingly the two persons who travelled with the missing person were never questioned by the police because the driver come from the PPC’s village.
In fact the case needs further investigation because the other two person had some land issues with the missing person regarding logging operations in our area.
The most complex issue was the announcement by the PPC when the elders gathered in Kirakira that the Solomon Islands government is responsible to meet the life of that missing person.
Case three. This is the recent case which triggered the suspect to react since he is known for his psychiatric illness.
The unprofessionalism of the PPC and Kirakira police who confiscated their 070 STIHL chain saw, worsened the situation and increased distrust.
The chain saw is owned by the suspect’s brother and he is the custodian of the saw.
The chainsaw was hired by the Seventh Day Adventist Church to cut their logs for their church building at Naokeke village.
Mr Samson Weao collected the saw from the suspect and left with the saw to Maniono village.
Kirakira police received a report that someone stole chain saws from Nana logging camp.
Namuga police went to Samson and forcedly took the saw from him even though he was trying to explain the ownership of the saw which he is using.
Namuga police took that saw to the logging camp to prove that the saw is one of the stolen ones from the camp.
The camp manager told Namuga police that it was not theirs, the serial number was different.
However, police instead of returning that chain saw to the suspect, they returned to Kirakira police station with it.
After numerous attempts by the suspect’s brother Josiah Gapu Hasi and Samson Weao begging police to return that saw they kept it in kirakira without any good reasons at all.
The Nana logging camp’s stolen chain saws were collected from Harry Weape of Wetate village on June 6, 2018.
The thieves who actually stole Nana logging chainsaws were arrested and kept in Kirakira police cellar.
The suspect told police that they should return his chain saw since they have arrested the thieves who stole the logging company’s chainsaws, PPC failed to return that saw and kept it unnecessarily at Kirakira police station.
Kirakira police should be blamed for the burning of their OBM and rayboat because they are ones who intimidated the suspect.
The above incidences have forced the suspect to act in that way by burning the police OBM and rayboat.
The PPC Kirakira and his officers should not excuse themselves because they knew very well that he is a psychiatric patient.
It is worth mentioning that whenever logging companies report incidences of stolen or damages done to their properties, police always act promptly compared to when ordinary citizens of Makira Ulawa province reporting theirs to police.
Furthermore, relatives have the right to question police on the disproportionate force applied, brutality, reckless harming and abuses that followed upon and after arrest.
The denial to immediate medical attention after arrest for wounds inflicted during police arrest is violation of Human rights.
He was refused medical attention even though a medical vehicle was waiting outside the police station for about 45 minutes.
The doctor and eye specialist waited all day for the suspect. He was released for medical check after 11 days.
Did police acted within the law? Relatives have the constitutional right to question police and bring their side of the arrest story to light.
This is what made both acting Police Commissioner and acting Makira Ulawa PPC irritated – the truth from our point of view.
The truth must be revealed so that such ill treatments to suspects destroying or damaging police properties be dealt with fairly, according to law, Human rights must be uphold and respected at all time.
We do not want to see police force acting like a mob of undisciplined gang manning the country’s law and order.
Law abiding citizens must not remain silent because silence breeds corruption in RSIPF and all government institutions, if left unchecked.
What acting Police Commissioner and acting Makira Ulawa PPC were not smart enough and could not hide from the world was when the suspect arrived at Kirakira Seafront Landing Area, hundreds of people from within Kirakira Township and nearby villages; present, witnessed his swollen blackened face, bruises on forehead, red eyes and torn trousers – that appearance to his sister was heartbreaking and the reason she was using the media to protest against the police.
This is what the two most senior policemen could not and will never be able to censor from the world.
The truth is always painful and will remain rock solid no matter what happens.
It is shameful, worrying and irresponsible for these two most senior policemen to behave and act the way they do, trying desperately to deceive the world.
Thank God, the suspect was taken to Kirakira during broad daylight otherwise police will be successful in suppressing the truth from the world.
They must be reminded that the truth will hold and will prevail no matter what, to God’s judgement day. Surprisingly, people taking photos at Kirakira seafront area then, using mobile phones had their mobile phones confiscated by police, an action that prevents free press and pushes to limit our freedom of expression through photography.
Were these “Australian trained and equipped RSIPF” taught to hide the truth?
His two relatives that visited him on the day of his arrest referred to by the acting Police Commissioner were his two sisters.
They made their complaints through SIBC world blo iu mi dated 06/07/2018 and Solomon star dated 11/07/2018 because they knew raising their complaints to Kirakira police would fall on deaf ears and unfortunately is also paralysed.
Stagnancy resulting from being too long in Makira Ulawa province is an urgent agenda for your postings in 2019, so that the reputation of police is respected and trusted once again in Makira Ulawa Province.
Our intent was to stand up strong and bring the dark side of their “good story” to light so that readers, listeners and followers have a fair presentation that, during execution of their duty to arrest and bring to justice our relative, police committed atrocities that were unlawful.
They must be prepared to hold those responsible for tainting police reputation answer for their dirty actions.
In doing so, we relatives hope to have a more HONEST, accountable, impartial, transparent, responsible, respectable and dignified RSIPF, carrying out national security, law and order duties for our country – Solomon Islands.
Wesley Heramate,
Nakuhu Village, East Wainoni,
Makira Ulawa Province
