17 Apr 2012

Amid political crisis, police fracas in PNG capital

1:27 pm on 17 April 2012

Police in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea are calling for the arrest of dozens of Highlands police who beat six highway patrol staff.

A police spokesperson, Superintendent Dominic Kakas, says police commanders are meeting today at the Gordons' police station to discuss the fracas.

There are also unconfirmed reports of gun fire near the station which is just a few minutes from Parliament.

The Post Courier newspaper reports that the offending officers involved in Monday's incident were from the Mt Hagen mobile squad which had been brought to the capital because of the ongoing political impasse.

The paper reports that at least one of those attacked is seriously hurt - two have been hospitalised.

One of the injured police, Murray Nai'o, says the Highlands police were screaming at them, demanding to know which government the local officers were serving.