Police getting prepared for PNG’s national elections

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s police commissioner says provincial and divisional police commanders will have support from the national headquarters in managing potential hot-spots during the elections.

Gary Baki has called all divisional commanders for a meeting this week in Port Moresby for planning towards PNG’s upcoming general elections in late June.

Commissioner Baki says that policing the elections in each province will be managed by provincial and divisional commanders, rather than from Moresby.

This come amidst a military and police call-out to the troubled Highlands province of Hela where police recently wrapped up a guns amnesty period.

“It’s a difficult time. When we did the winding down of the actual amnesty period about a week ago the local population was told directly that we know that there are still some weapons that have not been surrendered.

“Based on the available information and intelligence to us we will go directly and hit those people that we believe have firearms and have not surrendered them during the period of amnesty.

“We will maintain our presence there leading up into the elections. Not the current number but on a reduced size but the enforcement will be still the same until we get into the elections.”

He said 9600 police are to be deployed across the country for the elections.

“We will be having a final brief with all the regional commanders on Thursday. The elections operation is going to be totally different because I have given the responsibility back to the regional commanders to run their divisions, rather than dictated from headquarters.

“It’s really not an issue about having one policeman or ten policemen or five policemen to every polling booth. We are there to provide the environment. Basically it depends on the way that people behave, so where there is a breach of the processes then we step in.

“It’s going to be challenging but the issue is this – we are not leaving our commanders alone there. There will be a response unit posted to hot-spots, where we consider likely issues of trouble to occur, so they will have supportive personnel deployed from headquarters to support them.” - RNZI