Polye wants new police unit to be established to address Tribal Fights

PORT MORESBY: Opposition Leader Don Polye is calling for an establishment of a new police unit to deal with tribal fights, especially in the country’s Highlands region.

Mr Polye made the plea on realizing that the Royal Constabulary was planning to set up a new police unit for tourists.

He has commended the Police Commissioner Gary Baki for addressing special policing needs like this.

Polye, however, challenged him to do more to cater for similar policing needs in other areas.

“One that we would like the Commissioner also to look into, as stipulated in our alternative government policy, is to establish a para-military within the police force to combat tribal warfare or ethnic clashes.

“Para-military officers will not only be specially trained as police but also as military,” he said.

They, he said, will be equipped appropriately to stop tribal and ethnic clashes, adding increase in manpower of auxiliary police to 100 personnel each district is another reform which they will look into.

He added that tribal fights did not only impede development but cost lives and properties worth millions of Kina as well.

Mr Polye reiterated, when in power, they would build four regional Police Training Colleges in the next medium term to achieve the United Nation’s police-to-citizen ratio.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader said they also have a policy to declare National Compulsory Youth Service for all youths to become officers in the disciplined forces, adding such a policy will help address the escalating law and order problems in the country.

He said most petty crimes are instigated by youths.