To my family, friends and supporters. I humbly acknowledge and appreciate all the support given. I have not been personally lobbying to take the top Police job. I am happy where I am and doing what I set out to do. I love my job and I love serving to make our community safe.
I will tell you why I became a Police man.
I grew up as a son of a Police Officer. I am the first born son of Anthony Wagambie Snr. He was then an Inspector of Police based in Lae and my mum, Mrs Elizabeth Wagambie nee Saun was a Pediatric Nurse at Angau Hospital.
Our first home was at Salamanda flats Lae, where we shared with former Commissioner of Police and my uncle Mr Peter Aigilo. Uncle Peter was a young Sub Inspector of Police at that time.
Anyway, when I was born , my dad named me after him, so that’s why I am Anthony Wagambie Jnr. My dad always said I would be a Policeman just like him.
When I was a baby, he always put his officer’s peak cap on my head and brainwashed me by saying ” He will be a Policeman just like me and his bubuman”( both my grandfathers were retired Policemen. My dad’s father was a First Constable and my mum’s father was a Senior Sergeant, both War veterans).
So I grew up always thinking and knowing that I would be a cop one day.
My parent’s albums are full of childhood photographs of me dressing up as a Policeman, especially a Riot Squad ( today Mobile Sqaud) officer. With my dad’s peak cap on my head, track suit tucked into my gum boots and carrying a water gun.
That was my dream to be in the riot squad.
I grew up always wanting to get on a Police or just being around Police. Those days the Police were well disciplined by way of attitude,dressing and attitude. They were respected by the Community. I always envied them and wanted to be just like those cops.
There was turning point in my life, which cemented everything. I was in Grade 11 at Divine Word Institute, which is now Divine Word University . I was returning to school after holidays in Lae. There was a bridge that had collapsed due to heavy rain so my parents decided to fly me back to school on Air Niugini. This was in 1993, and ANG had a route which came from POM to Nadzab and on to Madang.
I got on that flight and we were off to Madang. There were other schoolmates on the flight who were mostly girls. We arrived late in the afternoon. In those days there were no Mobile phones, we depended on Public pay phones.
To make matters worse, the school truck had not arrived to pick us up. I also realized that among the girls , there were only two males. Another boy and myself.
Remember, there were no Mobile phones then so we never told that the previous weekend , there had been a fight between our DIWAI Soccer team and a team from the surrounding Airport Community .
We had just landed in hot water. The kids from the soccer team somehow learnt that DIWAI students had arrived and were stranded at the terminal. They had planned to attack students coming back from holidays.
This was the last flight and the aircraft had already departed.
All of a sudden we realized that the young men from the community had started to block off the gate to to the terminal.
At that point of time, the first time in my life I felt the fear of being attacked.
I felt hopeless and helpless, thinking of how I would defend the girls( their panicking didn’t help at all). To be frank, for the first time in my life I was scared of losing my life.
I was brought up in a home of feeling protected because my dad was a senior Police Officer. This was the first time I felt real fear. All I wanted was for my dad to come rescue us.
The place had started to get dark and the feeling of danger was greater.
Then we we saw it, amidst the darkness a Police 15 seater bus came speeding up the road with it’s blue lights on. When the thugs saw this they ran in all directions.
The mere sight of Police brought instant relief. Thank God we were safe. The Blue Angel had arrived.
When the bus pulled up, it was only one very old Policeman , with no gun, and Mrs Kalasim, the wife of then PPC Madang papa Robert Kalasim (now retired)
They had come to the Airport to check on a relative. They had sensed something was wrong when they saw the gate crowded. The old copper put on the blue lights which chased them away . That blue light made me feel safe.
The girls shed tears of joy.
I was so taken aback by what the presence of a Police vehicle could do. A Police vehicle with one old Policeman with no gun. He became my instant hero, my lifesaver.
At that point in time, I made up my mind. I said to myself ” That’s it, I want to be like that, I want to make people feel safe, I want to make a difference!”.
So Family, I want to make a point.
I am not envious of the top job, I am happy , doing what I set out to do, that is,trying my best to make my Community safe. As long as everyone feels safe, then I am satisfied.
People who know me well, know that I do not rest until a problem is solved, until strategies to ensure a safer Community is in place. It gives me that satisfaction to see men, women and children move about freely and feeling safe. For them to know that Police is close by to help when they need it and for everyone to feel secured. When this happens, I know that my boys and girls in blue have done their job. Money cannot buy that happiness and sense of achievement.
Everything comes in God’s timing. He will determine everything. God uses humans as an instrument to do as His Will on Earth. He will determine how and when.
I devote my life to serving and leading men and women under my charge, so that they too can become “Blue Angels”.
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