Manning: Police will serve all court warrants immediately

POLICE Comm David Manning will direct police to serve all unattended National and Supreme Court bench warrants immediately.
Comm Manning made the undertaking at the opening of the legal year in Port Moresby yesterday.
He said: “According to the court records presented by the Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea, Sir Gibbs Salika, a total of 5,927 National Court and 128 Supreme Court bench warrants are yet to be executed by the police nationwide.
“This is a massive number of active bench warrants and police officers are on the brink of being charged for contempt. We are a disciplined organisation bound to follow orders and those legal orders should be taken seriously and acted upon.
“I want all commanders to act immediately and serve the bench warrants without further delay. This is the beginning of a new legal year and I want the constabulary to clear all outstanding cases and start fresh. From our past records, it shows that we really need to pull up our socks.”
However, he said part of the reason for the non-execution of the warrants was due to limited resources and funding to police coupled with the difficult and challenging terrain and lack of proper infrastructure nationwide.
“I understand that transportation and accommodation remains the biggest challenges for police. However, I will be looking into this to ensure these backlogs of bench warrants are effectively served. Any challenges or obstacle’s faced in serving should be brought before the responsible courts and or the police hierarchy as soon as possible to seek other options.
Manning urged the provincial authorities to work in partnership with the law and justice sector to support police officers serve outstanding bench warrants.
He said fighting crime was everyone’s business and police needed a helping hand from the public as well as other authorities in carrying out its constitutional duties.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika opened the legal year earlier yesterday at a ceremony at the Don Bosco Technical Institute.
Sir Gibbs committed the police, correctional services and the legal fraternity, including the judiciary, to God.
He urged all members of the law and justice sector to pull up their socks and be smart in serving the nation.
“This is a very significant event today. We are here to commit our services to the Lord Almighty. It has been a tradition and this year is no exception. I want us to reaffirm our commitment to this country and take on the challenges of 2020 in good faith,” the Chief Justice said.