‘FB is not police daily occurrence book’: Baim tells public

Members of the public with allegations of police brutality have been urged to lodge formal complaints at police stations instead of relying solely on Facebook posts.

Madang Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Robert Baim, said many people are taking allegations of police misconduct to social media for public attention but fail to register their complaints through the officially recognised police reporting system, the Daily Occurrence Book.

“Yes, people can post their concerns on Facebook as part of their freedom of expression,” Superintendent Baim said. “However, Facebook is not an official complaints register. For investigations to be prioritised, complaints must be formally recorded.”

He said complainants must personally attend a police station to lodge a formal complaint so investigations can proceed through the proper legal process.

Superintendent Baim said police cannot act on Facebook posts alone, as such complaints cannot be processed through the court system without formal documentation.

He raised the concern following several recent allegations against police officers circulated on Facebook, noting that many people were bypassing established procedures for reporting police misconduct.

“This practice has to stop,” he said. “If you want your complaint addressed, complete the formalities so police can properly attend to it. Facebook is not the Police Daily Occurrence Book.”

Baim made the comments in response to a Facebook post this week regarding an alleged incident at the Ramu Sugar Township on January 2, reportedly involving a police officer.

It is alleged that the incident left a middle-aged man in critical condition at the Gusap Health Centre. The post, published by Global News, has sparked public outrage, with some members of the public questioning the integrity of police officers.

There are also allegations that the police officer involved was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Superintendent Baim said he does not condone any form of misconduct by police officers, but stressed that proper reporting channels must be followed to allow investigations to be completed