Police Commissioner David Manning has cancelled the firearm licences of a Southern Highlands man and has called on him to surrender to police in relation to allegations of unlawful discharge of a firearm and threatening.
The suspect, Fiebik Simon, while allegedly under the influence of alcohol, used a firearm to threaten a woman in the National Capital District and refused to surrender his weapons to police.
Police Commissioner David Manning, as the Registrar of Firearms, cancelled Simon’s two gun licences and forfeited his firearms to the custody of the state.
Simon allegedly discharged the firearm and threatened the woman and her family at the Mautana settlement last year and is now wanted by police. Mr Manning said the victim filed a complaint with police who have since recovered one of the two weapons used in the Mautana incident.
Mr Manning said that the family is constantly being threatened by the suspect and his agents whose identities are also known to police and will be investigated and prosecuted soon. He further warned that when you threaten citizens, let alone with firearms, no matter who they are, you are committing a crime against the state.
The first weapon was confiscated in Simon’s car when police chased him from Waigani to the Airways Hotel in mid-January. Simon, who is believed to be still in possession of a second firearm, fled into the hotel lobby and escaped.
Commissioner Manning said ballistic tests positively confirmed that a bullet cell taken from the crime scene, came from the firearm now in police custody.
Police believe that Simon may also be in the possession of other unlicensed firearms. This allegation is also being investigated by police.
Commissioner Manning said the Constabulary strongly opposes all forms of gender-based violence. He said the decision to cancel and forfeit the two firearms will only strengthen our resolve to oppose all forms of violence against women and girls in our society.
He warned that police will come down hard on men who threaten the lives of women and girls across the country and even harder on those who use firearms to carry out these threats.
The Commissioner also issued a warning to Simon to immediately surrender the second firearm in his possession and surrender himself to Boroko Police.
“The arm of the law is long, we are not bound by time nor distance, so it will be wise of the suspect to voluntarily turn himself in to police,” Mr Manning said.
