PNG Police Reserve Recruitment Set To Strengthen Manpower

The PNG police force is moving to increase its manpower through a national reserve recruitment programme, with Northern Province selected to pilot the initiative and up to 200 reserve personnel planned for recruitment and training in each province.

Southern Divisional Commander ACP Joseph Puri said the Northern Provincial Government’s K1 million contribution would help complete the recruitment and training of police reserves in the province.

ACP Puri made the statement yesterday in Port Moresby during the presentation of the K1 million cheque by the Northern Provincial Government to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary.

He said the recruitment and training process had encountered several difficulties but was now progressing, with about 100 candidates already screened, processed and accepted into the reserve programme.

“We have identified the training areas in Oro, and we will progress that,” ACP Puri said.

The initiative follows approval by Police Commissioner David Manning for the recruitment and training of up to 200 reserve personnel in every province as part of efforts to address police manpower shortages across the country.

ACP Puri said the additional officers would provide much-needed support to police operations in Northern Province, although accommodation remained a major concern.

“We have a lot of challenges in manpower. We have no accommodation and all that,” he said.

He said police had already identified several possible locations for accommodation, including areas where the new personnel were expected to be deployed.

ACP Puri also gave an assurance that police would continue working to prevent criminal groups from expanding their activities and moving into other parts of the country.

He acknowledged the support of the Northern Provincial Government, the Marape-Rosso Government and other agencies involved in establishing the reserve programme.

Director for Community Policing Superintendent Godwin Dukaduka said the reserve programme formed part of the wider structure provided for under the Police Force Act.

He said the legislation recognised three branches of policing — regular police, police reserves and community auxiliary police.

“The reserve branch is higher in terms of its authority to be able to police,” Dukaduka said.

He said reserve personnel would complement regular officers, particularly in areas where police numbers remained low.

Dukaduka thanked the Northern Provincial Government for its financial support and said the new personnel were expected to extend police presence into communities.

“We hope that they can be a good support for the RPNGC regular officers on the ground and can bring policing to the hub and look after our people here,” he said.