PNG Criminal Justice System needs Radical overhaul
PORT MORESBY, THURSDAY 18th JULY 2019 --- Minister for National Planning and Chairman of the Consultative Implementation & Monitoring Council (CIMC) Hon Richard Maru said Papua New Guinea’s Criminal Justice System needs radical overhaul to deal with the law and issues in the Nation’s Capital and the country.
Minister Maru addressed the National Capital District Law & Order Summit today in Port Moresby and urged all stakeholders and participants to come up with recommendations for radical overhaul to deal with what he calls a “very weak criminal justice system” that needs an overhaul.
He added that the attitude of the people is another thing with many crimes being done in broad daylight and in full view of the general public, yet no one reports these. An example is the burning of the Air Niugini plane in Mendi, where the culprits have not yet been brought to justice. How long will it take before anyone is held accountable?
“Even when we increase penalties for violence against women, no one comes forward. We have a society that is tolerant of crime,” Maru said.
“The Government has done a lot over the years. We’ve invested in more police stations, police cars, increasing recruitment numbers through the Bomana Police College, increased in numbers in the PNG Defence Force, employed more judges, put up district court houses in many districts of this country; but yet the statistics are the same. Serious crimes are the order of the day,” Minister Maru said.
On the other hand, he commended the Police in Lae for their effective management of law & order issues in the country’s second largest city, resulting in a decrease in crimes there.
“Every country that has prospered has got one thing sorted, and that is law and order. We can talk about taking PNG back, but if we do not sort out our law & order issues, we will never realise this vision,” Minister Maru said.
The Minister said if there needs to be a revisit of existing laws, then Government should commit to that and give priority to enforce these laws so there is compliance from all parties concerned. He said there must be ways to prevent crime and if there are perpetrators of the law and justice systems, they must be held accountable and brought to justice with the right penalties and the whole process must be swift.
“What are the standards we should put in NCD? What should the response time be if someone calls the emergency hotline number? How do we ensure the process is followed through until justice is served? How do we ensure we don’t tolerate crime? We must make sure that our system works. There must be respect for the rule of law. I want to see a complete reduction in law & order incidences in Port Moresby and NCD so that we build a better city that is safe and prosperous for everyone,” Minister Maru said.
He said having a safe city and country is important for growing the economy and securing more foreign investment into the future. All citizens, irrespective of gender, race, culture, religion or specialties will have equal opportunity to participate and benefit from the development of the country.
The Minister assured the Summit that he is looking forward to receiving some strong recommendations to come from today’s meeting and he will ensure that the recommendations are brought to Cabinet after the National Development Forum.
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Minister Maru addressed the National Capital District Law & Order Summit today in Port Moresby and urged all stakeholders and participants to come up with recommendations for radical overhaul to deal with what he calls a “very weak criminal justice system” that needs an overhaul.
He added that the attitude of the people is another thing with many crimes being done in broad daylight and in full view of the general public, yet no one reports these. An example is the burning of the Air Niugini plane in Mendi, where the culprits have not yet been brought to justice. How long will it take before anyone is held accountable?
“Even when we increase penalties for violence against women, no one comes forward. We have a society that is tolerant of crime,” Maru said.
“The Government has done a lot over the years. We’ve invested in more police stations, police cars, increasing recruitment numbers through the Bomana Police College, increased in numbers in the PNG Defence Force, employed more judges, put up district court houses in many districts of this country; but yet the statistics are the same. Serious crimes are the order of the day,” Minister Maru said.
On the other hand, he commended the Police in Lae for their effective management of law & order issues in the country’s second largest city, resulting in a decrease in crimes there.
“Every country that has prospered has got one thing sorted, and that is law and order. We can talk about taking PNG back, but if we do not sort out our law & order issues, we will never realise this vision,” Minister Maru said.
The Minister said if there needs to be a revisit of existing laws, then Government should commit to that and give priority to enforce these laws so there is compliance from all parties concerned. He said there must be ways to prevent crime and if there are perpetrators of the law and justice systems, they must be held accountable and brought to justice with the right penalties and the whole process must be swift.
“What are the standards we should put in NCD? What should the response time be if someone calls the emergency hotline number? How do we ensure the process is followed through until justice is served? How do we ensure we don’t tolerate crime? We must make sure that our system works. There must be respect for the rule of law. I want to see a complete reduction in law & order incidences in Port Moresby and NCD so that we build a better city that is safe and prosperous for everyone,” Minister Maru said.
He said having a safe city and country is important for growing the economy and securing more foreign investment into the future. All citizens, irrespective of gender, race, culture, religion or specialties will have equal opportunity to participate and benefit from the development of the country.
The Minister assured the Summit that he is looking forward to receiving some strong recommendations to come from today’s meeting and he will ensure that the recommendations are brought to Cabinet after the National Development Forum.
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