Best security plan wanted

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill wants the best and most effective security plan in place when the country hosts APEC in 2018.
“The safety and security of leaders, ministers, delegates, staff and members of the public are of primary importance to ensuring the successful delivery of Papua New Guinea’s APEC year,” he said in a statement yesterday.
O’Neill said Cabinet had approved the establishment of the APEC PNG joint security task force under the command of Police Commissioner Gari Baki. “Direction has been given to properly staff the security task force so that it can formalise planning and facilitate operational deployments in support of APEC events that will begin later this year,” he said.
Cabinet has directed the task force to ensure the safety of all leaders, ministers, delegates, officials and members of the public for the duration of APEC meetings.
The meetings begin with the informal senior officials’ meetings in December this year through to the Leaders’ Summit in November 2018.
He said the police commissioner would develop a security task force staffing structure which would bring in officers from security agencies when required.
He said emphasis would be placed on border security.
“We have ongoing border security concerns that are being addressed, and we must increase the pace of these activities,” O’Neill  said.
“Part of this includes enhancing the integrated processing of passenger information that is essential for the next step in facilitating the movement of passengers through our airports.
“But we also need better eyes on people who enter our sovereign waters or seek to cross our land border.
“We already have very close working relationships with our immediate neighbours – Australia, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands – and will increase this co-operation.”