PNG POLICE TO DOUBLE MAN POWER IN 2015

Currently in PNG there are 5000 police officers to police a population of nearly 8 million. This can be represented as 5 police officers per 8000 population whereas in Australia there are 5 police officers per 2084 population. Next year the RPNGC is tasked to increase its strength from 5,000 to 10,000 personnel thus 5 police officers per 4000 population or half of what Australia has for its population. With increased officers policing hot spot crime areas we can all expect a drop in petty & violence related crimes.

"The more police we have, the less crime there will be. While citizens and public officials often espouse that view, social scientists often claim the opposite extreme: that police make only minimal contributions to crime prevention in the context of far more powerful social institutions, like the family and labor markets. The truth appears to lie in between. Whether additional police prevent crime may depend on how well they are focused on specific objectives, tasks, places, times and people. Most of all, it may depend upon putting police where serious crime is concentrated, at the times it is most likely to occur: policing focused on risk factors.

The connection of policing to risk factors is the most powerful conclusion reached from three decades of research. Hiring more police to provide rapid 911 (emergency) responses, unfocused random patrol, and reactive arrests does not prevent serious crime. Community policing without a clear focus on crime risk factors generally shows no effect on crime. But directed patrols, proactive arrests and problem-solving at high-crime "hot spots" has shown substantial evidence of crime prevention. Police can prevent robbery, disorder, gun violence, drunk driving and domestic violence, but only by using certain methods under certain conditions".

These conclusions are based largely on research supported by the USA National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.

source: Kundu Nius