Top cop questions drop in country’s prosecution rate

By CHRISTOPHER YANDAWAI

FORMER Assistant Commissioner Crimes and current Interim Chairman of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Thomas Eluh has questioned why prosecutions success rate that was reported during his time has suddenly being dropped.

“During my time, prosecutions success rate was 73 percent throughout the country. Where did that percentage go and what has gone wrong,” Mr Eluh asked.

He said why investigators, supervisors and managers in police hierarchy are continuously going to sleep and passing the tasks to somebody else, thus contributing to the downfall of prosecutions success rate in the country.

“That’s your job or role which you need to get it done properly. We cannot continue to blame the system, management including everything and anything as that was what we are used to.

“It is your individual contributions that alleviate the police force and for me as a former assistant commissioner crimes, my heart bleeds of seeing this not happening,” Eluh said.

He challenged everyone in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) rank and file not to pretend and see that everything is okay.

“Let us not pretend to wear these ranks because there is so much abuse in the police force.

“This is our country and this is our police force. Why will we allow things to go backwards,” Mr Elluah stressed.

He further stated some of the reasons why prosecutions rates in the country was not improving.

“These days I see investigators and prosecutors wanted to do cases for people that have money. Such people like politicians, bureaucratic, business people, Asians and so forth. This trend along has done so much damage in the RPNGC.”

Mr. Eluh was speaking at the first day of 4-day Crimes, Prosecutions and Internal Affairs Workshop that started today at Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby.

He was given the opportunity to address the workshop on the aspects of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) but had to stress on the prosecutions aspects of it first, given the current trend in its level in the country.

The Workshop theme was “Cooperation across RPNGC for professional policing and prosecutions” and was attended by members of the RPNGC Rank and File including members of the Magisterial Services, Public Prosecutor’s Office, Ombudsman Commission, Transparency International and Solicitor General’s Office.

The Workshop ends on Friday, February 19, 2021.