by Theckla Gunga – EM TV, Port Moresby
A two day retention program for police officers who attended the Mekim Senis Placement Program is now underway in Port Moresby.
Over 40 members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and Australian Federal Police will share their experiences and discuss how to further develop policing work.
Mekim Senis or Initiate Change, is a placement program conducted in Australia through the Australia–Papua New Guinea Policing Partnership Program.
Initiated in 2013, Mekim Senis was created to place RPNGC members in an Australian Policing Agency, so the members experience how policing duties are carried out in Australia, particularly in Queensland.
However, for this retention program, previous participants of Mekim Senis gathered at the Boroko Police Station and discussed the different techniques they have learnt and when to use them in their operational units.
These include participants from Morobe, Madang and Eastern Highlands provinces and two visiting Australian Police from the Northern Territory.
NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Andy Bawa says changes were evident when these participants returned from their placements.
Bawa said these officers started arriving at work on time and carried out their duties with a higher level of professionalism.
He has challenged his officers to learn and pass on the knowledge, skills and techniques they acquired.
Head of AFP Deployment in PNG, Assistant Commissioner, Alan Scott says Mekim Senis is a fundamental aspect of the PNG-APP Mission, and has a wide support from the PNG Government.
Though the program is into its second year, Commander Scott says the partnership is looking at including other police departments like Traffic and Human Resource and officers from provincial commands.
He also says AFP will be looking at extending the placement to other Australian states beginning with Northern Territory.
At the close of the retention, adjustments will be made on how to improve the program so more positive contributions will be made to the development of the Constabulary through the Australia – PNG Policing Partnership Program.
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