Former PNGDF commander Jerry Singirok, in an interview with Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program, spoke of law and order issues continuously stemming the country’s economic development.
The former commander is the author of an in-depth report on PNG’s gun culture and gun laws. Published in 2005, the report provides key reform recommendations for PNG’s gun laws.
The former commander mentioned in the interview that the report has been ignored since he handed it over to then-Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.
“Nine years later, they have not implemented one single recommendation out of 244,” he said. “People have spoken, communities have spoken about the effect of illegal guns [and] my message to Prime Minister O&rsquO’Neill and this government is to implement the gun control report.”
General Singirok’s comments follow a World Bank report analysing financial losses and strained efforts faced by private firms in PNG, attributed directly to security issues.
Two thirds of private companies in PNG hire private security firms, highlighting the security constraints that hinder business advancement in the country.
The former general described these employee thefts and private security costs as ‘unbelievable’ and ‘horrendous’.
The World Bank report found companies to be facing security-related losses averaging US$33, 000, mostly through stolen property, with petty theft averaging US$26, 000.
Capacity-building moves have been rife throughout the government’s solutions in fighting crime in the country. Major gun control reforms, however, are yet to be addressed in reducing PNG’s crime rate and gun violence.
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