Police in the largely archipelagic province of Milne Bay have beefed up manpower at the Gili-Gili Corrective Institution after receiving a tip off from informants of large scale criminal activity around the area.
Provincial Police Commander, Peter Barkie, stated that they received information that there might be disturbances by organized criminals targeting the institution & right now, police are stepping up presence in and around the Institute.
“We picked up information that there might be some disturbances by the bad guys particularly up at Gili-Gili. So we have stepped up our operation to cover that area.”
“This is part of an ongoing operation: Codename Spear-gun that is running concurrently with operation starlight. This operation targets criminal operations here in the province.”
“The mission is to neutralize the threats posed by criminals to police, government officials and the people.”
Meanwhile, since the commencement of Operation Starlight in Milne Bay Province, so far so good, PPC Barkie said he is delighted that no major incidents have been recorded in the past two weeks.
“There have been minor incidents, such as reports of piracy and minor scuffles due to a land dispute, but they have been diffused and both matters are being dealt with.”
With threats to the safety of the public surfacing, this has prompted the PPC to request more logistical support from Police Headquarters here in the capital.
He says this is to strengthen the operational capability of police in the province in dealing with these threats. Barkie stated that he is happy with the positive response from HQ as they will receive firearms and other resources.