A great challenge currently faced by the Police force in the country is the ratio of a Police officer to the PNG population which is 1 police officer is to 1,200 people.
This was expressed by the Minister for Internal Security, Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jnr during yesterday’s parliament sitting.
He gave assurance that by the end of the ongoing police recruitment process, the provinces can expect to see additional police manpower.
Another issue highlighted on the floor of parliament during yesterday’s sitting, was the issue of having former police officers still occupying living spaces belonging to the Royal PNG Constabulary that could best serve the employed officers and their families.
Referring to past experiences with the dilemma in receiving final entitlements, Mininster Tsiamalili Jr said this is an all-round issue in the public sector as of current.
He expressed that people who had given their time to public service, feel that they are entitled to the houses they are living in until they are being satisfied by the state.
“We are looking to address this in a holistic manner,” Tsiamalili Jr said.
He expressed that an infrastructure master plan is underway and part of it is to ensure housing schemes for police men and women which will enable them to exit the department with ease.
He stressed that it is important that service men and women invest into exit strategies during their employment period in the department. Additional notes made by the internal security minister was his statement of emphasis for the Provincial Police Commanders to come up with infrastructural plans that will help the government better identify areas of need for the different Police supports and assist accordingly.
