PNG needs proactive approach in policing the nation.
Tougher penalties or more police presence on the streets only deter criminals.
Statistics are good as long as we use them in measuring our own efficiency.
If reported cases increase amidst shortage of manpower, then statistics become an indicator of our lack of efficiency in controlling crime.
If people are turning to crime as a mean of survival, then let’s give them alternatives to take care of their families.
If teenagers do it out of boredom, let’s put unemployed youths into good use.
Let them pick up a trade. This means we need more grassroots learning centres for the unemployed and drop-outs to learn how to make a living.
Papua New Guineans have survived for thousands of years without knowing how to read and write.
This is because we are practical learners.
We see something is done and we learn to do it. We learn quickly when it comes to survival.
Take apart a computer and describe what each component does to an uneducated youth and show him how to put it back together and you have just equipped someone with a skill for life.
If the underprivileged and unemployed people of this nation can see that the Government is doing something to make their lives better, the high crime rates will come down.
Isn’t it better to keep the young, robust and energetic members of our community occupied with some worthwhile than neglecting them to resort to anti-social behaviour?
Tougher penalties do not mean they will deter crime but a more integral approach to human development will bring it down.

Hands-on-learner
Lae