Hela’s Chief Insp suspended, blamed for gunfight, death of cop

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

Hela’s Chief Insp suspended, blamed for gunfight, death of cop

PORT MORESBY: Hela commander Chief Inspector Teddy Agwi has been suspended from duty for 21 days for his “poor planning and negligence”, resulting in a gunfight in which a policeman was killed.

Highlands Western End Acting ACP John Kale yesterday (March 31, 2022) confirmed the disciplinary action taken against Agwi, saying there was no proper command and control given to Tari police resulting in the gunbattle.

The policeman died and two others were admitted in hospital with serious injuries on Tuesday.

The news break was reported by The National:


Hela’s top cop suspended

April 1, 2022The NationalMain Stories

Teddy Agwi

By GEORGINA KOREI
HELA’s police commander Chief Inspector Teddy Agwi has been suspended from duty for 21 days for his “poor planning and negligence”, resulting in a gunfight in which a policeman was killed.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Highlands Western End John Kale yesterday confirmed the disciplinary action taken against Agwi, saying there was no proper command and control given to Tari police resulting in the gun battle between them and the warlords.
The policeman died and two others were treated in hospital for serious injuries on Tuesday.
“There was poor planning and negligence which resulted in the gun battle between the police and the warlords in which lives and properties were lost,” he said.
Kale said Agwi failed to properly instruct his officers on how to handle the peace mediation event they went to at Kupari village on Tuesday.
“The tense situation was provoked due to improper conduct and instructions issued by Agwi to the policemen in Tari,” he said.
Kale said the police were told to go to Kupari for the peace mediation between the warlords, not knowing that they would be attacked.
“The warlords fired (resulting in a) police reservist shot dead and two regular policemen injured,” he said.
“This provoked the police to burn down houses in the village. The warlords retaliated by burning down four houses at the Pai police barracks.”
He has appointed Senior Inspector Robin Bore as the Hela caretaker police commander.
“PPC Agwi will resume duties after 21 days,” he said.
An investigation will find out what triggered the gun battle between the police and the warlords.
“The warlords are unpredicted people. They show up, do the damage and then disappear,” he said.
“It is the PPC’s duty to plan and strategise to avoid any fighting.
Police Minister William Onglo said Cabinet had approved a call-out operation involving members of the security forces in Tari.
Police mobile squad members from the Highlands have been sent to Tari to monitor the situation.
He said the situation in Tari was quiet because of the heavy police presence.
“When the police reinforcement arrived in Tari, there was no sign of the warlords in town,” he said.
Sources told him that the warlords had returned to Linapini on Wednesday night before going to their hiding place at Kupari village on Thursday.
“The intentions of the warlords are not known but they have to surrender to the police,” he said.
“The police units deployed to Tari were instructed to find the suspects involved in the burning of the police houses and the death of the reservist policemen and arrest them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Link PNG, a subsidiary of Air Niugini, has suspended all flights to Tari airport this week.

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