Crime and corruption must be reduced significantly to help take back PNG, says Acting Deputy Commissioner – Chief of Operations, David Manning, in support of the government’s intent on taking back PNG.
The Acting Deputy Commissioner says that is what the police management intends to achieve.
The constabulary will now adopt a result-driven approach where every member of the Constabulary is expected to arrest, charge and successfully convict offenders who come in conflict with the law.
He said the basic fundamental roles and responsibilities of a police officer is to arrest, charge, prosecute and convict felons, but this is not happening frequently as it should, because of many attributing factors.
Furthermore, the cultural practice of accepting compensation as a form of restitution for serious crimes and bribes offered to police, among many others, have for far too long allowed law breakers to roam freely in society.
“The performance of every police officer will now come under the radar of the RPNGC executive management. The arrest rate must increase and the prosecution and conviction rates must also increase as well if we are serious about tackling crime and making this nation safer and conducive for business investment and growth to thrive and prosper,” Manning said.
“We will reshape and sharpen up on discipline in the constabulary and demand for members to perform up to expectations.
“All members of the constabulary must perform their duties without fear, malice or ill-will and within the confines of ethics and integrity. The Police management and responsible officers and NCOs will ensure all cases are properly investigated with a degree of proficiency, care and impartiality.”
Manning said there is a general perception in the hearts and minds of the people that countless citizens of this nation were denied justice because of bribery and compromise on the part of police.
“People think our investigators are incompetent because those at the helm of the investigations are not doing their job properly. In some cases police officers are arresting suspects but the cases are being thrown out of court because of correctable flaws. This will now change,” Manning said.
“We will change this perception and restore faith and trust in this organisation.”
The Acting Deputy Commissioner said the Constabulary will utilize existing bilateral avenues to pursue more overseas specialist training for detectives and prosecutors with the prospect of enhancing the arrest, prosecution and conviction rates.
“If we send more people to jail, we will reduce crime and make our society more peaceful, safe and conducive for investment and the socioeconomic climate will gradually change for the better,” Manning stated.
He said respective Assistant Commissioners in charge of the regions across the nation will now task the Provincial Police Commanders to submit weekly reports outlining the number of arrests made and the names of the officers dealing with each of these cases.
“We will closely monitor each case and ensure the perpetrators are successfully prosecuted and convicted.
“If a crime is reported but is left unattended, we want to know why and who is responsible for such neglect. If a crime is reported and attended by police, we want to observe the prosecution phase and we also want to see the convictions.”
The Police Chief said this is one of many intentions of the current RPNGC management aimed at fulfilling the government’s intent on making PNG the richest black nation in the world.