Deputy Police Commissioner

Deputy Police Commissioner and Chief of Operations, Jim Andrews, said the Constabulary handled all security matters professionally and on top of that, the public were very cooperative.

He commended NCD residents for being rational and for ensuring there was peace and good order within the city at all times.

Andrews said police were deployed around the precincts of parliament house but members of the public were also allowed access into the public gallery, in orderly fashion, to witness the political events taking place on the floor of parliament.

He shared this sentiment recently in Buka during the opening of a week-long Custodian Management Training at the Hutjena Police Station in Buka in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

At the moment the BPS has a rehabilitation centre only at Bekut that houses a maximum of 50 prisoners but is now overcrowded.

Deputy Police Commissioner and Chief of Operations, Jim Andrews, announced this in Port Moresby today after holding a briefing with senior officers of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary at Police Headquarters.

About 1,000 policemen and women will be deployed around the city beginning Monday next week. This includes a 300-men team from the Bomana Police College, plus personnel from Police Headquarters, three mobile squads from McGregor barracks, and the Police Dog Unit will be deployed alongside NCD operational units to beef up security when parliament resumes on May 7.

Deputy Commissioner Huafolo said in 2017 alone, over 80 policemen and women died mostly from natural causes whilst serving on active duty. There were 64 deaths in 2018 and 10 within the first four months of this year.

“Most of these deaths were from lifestyle diseases, meaning, these deaths could have been prevented if the members had taken care of themselves, ate the right food, exercised and did regular medical checks.

“The ages of the members who died over the last five years were between 40 and 55.”

Deputy Police Commissioner and Chief of Operations, Jim Andrews, said this today while expressing his sympathy for families and victims of the earthquake, which is said to have claimed the lives of over 20 people and caused widespread destruction across these three provinces.

"Police in these three provinces are keeping a close eye on the relief efforts and will actively partake in all humanitarian aid activities in the affected places."