By Lagi Keresoma

APIA: 18 June 2012: Despite the Police force and members of the Fire and Emergency Service Authority (FESA) called on standby at Faleatiu village during the New Zealand forensic scientists investigation last weekend, all came to a smooth ending when both sides co-operated in the investigation.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police and spokesperson for the Ministry, Leaupepe Fatu Pula said the team of six from New Zealand had completed their investigations and are now working on finalising their report. The investigations were at Faleatiu village where a police raid last month resulted in the death of one villager and three police officers with gun wounds, took three days.

However, several members of the deceased Faleatiu man’s family, Togia Rapi Lelevaga who died in the shoot out with police were not happy with the presence of the police on the scene.

The family was not happy when police turned up first at Faleatiu before the scientists and the family believed that the police may interfere with any evidence from the scene before the scientists conducted their investigations.

However, an officer with the team that went to Faleatiu said that it was normal procedure for police to be present at the investigation, not to take evidence but to secure the premises while the investigation continued.

The result of the post mortem on Togia is yet to be released and it is yet to know when the result of the investigations will be handed over to the local police.