Police in Papua New Guinea have been ordered to shoot criminals wearing police uniforms, following robberies at two banks.

Police chief Gari Baki announced the dramatic measure following two bank raids in which more than three million kina ($1.2m; £584,000) was stolen.

He said he believed the same gang was behind each incident.

"They will be shot on sight if they are seen committing a crime in police uniform," Mr Baki said.

"This uniform belongs to the Queen, and its reputation should not be tarnished by criminals."

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II is still the country's formal head of state.

Escape

In May, thieves netted more than a million kina when they raided a branch of the Bank South Pacific (BSP) in Kerema, on the country's south coast.

Another two million kina were reportedly stolen in a raid on a branch of the same bank in Madang, on the country's north-east coast, last weekend.

In both cases, the thieves are said to have disguised themselves as police officers, and to have taken bank managers and their families hostage.

Three men were apprehended in connection with the Madang raid on Monday, reported the local Post-Courier newspaper, but one escaped from a police van.

'No vehicle'

Crime and corruption are rife in Papua New Guinea. Gangs are prevalent in the capital, Port Moresby.

But police are equipped with few resources, with one report suggesting the armed robbery section does not even have a vehicle.

The government has announced it will provide 3.2 million kina to set up a special police task force to tackle the problem.





