11 starving Tommy Baker gangsters surrender

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11 starving Tommy Baker gangsters surrender

PORT MORESBY: Thirteen starving Tommay Maeva Baker gangsters from Yapog village surrendered to police in Milne Bay’s Alotau on Wednesday (June 30, 2021).

Commander Supt Peter Barki said youths from Awayama and and Gwavili villages had also indicated they were willing to surrender for similar reasons.

The 60-day police manhunt ended today after the Tommy Baker gansters attacked the police pertrol-bombed the water police barracks on April 29 and 30, 2021.

Since then, police had captured or shot dead 64 Baker gangsters.

Police had on April 30 said some 70 Tommy Baker gansters had launched the attack.

Details of the news break were reported by The National:

 

 

Starvation hits Baker gang

July 2, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THIRTEEN starving Tommy Baker gangsters have surrendered to police in Milne Bay’s Alotau, commander Supt Peter Barkie says.
“They had been on the run in the mountainous bushes and ran out of food,” he added.
This brings to 64 the total number of Tommy Baker Gang members who have been either captured or shot dead since they attacked the police and petrol-bombed the water police barracks on April 29 and 30.
“They surrendered on Wednesday in Yapog village as they had enough of hiding from the police.
“And it was the good work with the community that encouraged the gang members, who are only teenagers, to surrender.
“To date, 18 gang members have surrendered since the launching of the 60-day police manhunt for the gang members which will end tomorrow (July 2). And we have received information from Awayama and Gwavili villages that youths from the villages are also willing to surrender.
“They are also are starving like the youths in Yapog village. These youths lived in settlements in Alotau town and are not used to hiding in jungles and eating garden food. So they feel disorientated. Also, their immediate families have already been repatriated under the voluntarily repatriation exercise,” he added.
Supt Barkie said yesterday that it was an effective strategy to remove the settlements in Alotau town “because the gang members hide there and their relatives feed them”.
“These settlements are the recruitment ground for the Tommy Baker Gang. All the attacks on the police and township since December 2020 were launched from the settlements. And it was impossible for police to shoot at criminals during a shootout at the settlements because criminals were using the settlers as human shields.
“The criminals were exchanging gunfire next to houses and from a crowd making it impossible for police to return fire,” he said, adding that together with the provincial administration, most of the settlements were removed under voluntarily repatriation exercises.
Supt Barkie stressed that the settlements were a security threat to the Government and the people of Milne Bay.
“We allowed the settlements to grow. Now we have told the ones who do not want to leave that if they are shot or killed during the crossfire, there will be no investigations,” he added.

Ample police for manhunt

July 2, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
POLICE have enough manpower and logistical support in Milne Bay to hunt down wanted criminal Tommy Baker and his gang members, says Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Donald Yamasombi.
“We have (about 60) Port Moresby-based policemen, mobile squad and air tactical unit members on the ground,” he said.
He was responding to comments by provincial police commander Peter Barkie that the Government should treat Baker and his gang members who are terrorists as a national security issue and not just a criminal one.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Yamasombi said police already had forensic detectives and special investigation unit officers in Alotau.
“There is no need for drones or helicopters to search for the gang members,” he said.
“These Port Moresby-based policemen only have to work with the Alotau-based policemen and the people to get information to track down the gang.”
He said the hunt for Baker should not be categorised as a security issue.
“The gang members are mostly youths and what they are accused off are criminal acts,” he said.
He said Supt Barkie was yet to provide his operation plan to the police headquarters in Port Moresby.
“We don’t know how he is operating and what resources he needs,” he said.
“Yes, we understand that criminals have done tremendous damage like the burning down of two police barracks.”
He assured the Port Moresby policemen in Alotau that they would receive their allowances.
Meanwhile, Supt Barkie said he had already submitted his operation plan to police headquarters on May 6.
“(Police management) is fully aware of what I am doing and what resources I need,” he said.