Prime Minister O'Neill demands answers following Police shooting

The Prime Minister,Peter O’Neill  is awaiting the outcome of enquiries into the shooting of a 25-year old man during a settlement clearing in Port Moresby over the weekend.
PM O’Neill said the people of the nation expect higher standards from police
“It is unfortunate that the incident took place and a young man has lost his life,” the Prime Minister said in Parliament today.

“The man was from my electorate and we are saddened by his loss.
“An investigation being conducted by police internal affairs and an NCDC police investigation is also underway.
“The role of police is to mediate and resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner, and we are seeing situations where this is not the case.
“We appreciate the work of police who are doing their best to maintain peace and order in our communities.
“But there are a few Police that are not using reasonable means to address challenges they face and they jump into situations where they are trigger happy.
“We need to isolate these people and bring back confidence in our police force.
“We will get to the bottom of this matter and the Minister for Police will make a statement.”
The Prime Minister further highlighted the need for better processes and greater understanding when it comes to developing land where settlers are currently living.
“We welcome development, but the developers must respect the fact that they have a community obligation.

“Some people have been living on this land for many decades cannot pack up in one morning.
“They should be able to work out an arrangement, and they should be compensated for the loss of permanent houses.

“I want to see the Lands Department and NCDC take full responsibility for the resettlement of settlers before land is developed.”
The Prime Minister said there are a number of programs that are being developed for national roll-out that enable settlers to relocate to a permanent home though are respectful process.
“We want to have a land settlement process for our people that creates opportunity.
“For example, in Moresby North East we have a project at 8 Mile where surveyors are going out and marking land so people can have proper titles.
“In another program in NCDC, we have a program at 6 Mile where traditional landowners are making land available so that settlers can build houses.

“For this the landowners are receiving income for their land.
“We are looking to expand these programs throughout the country.”