Border crime worrying

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
WHILE countries have borders to protect their sovereignty, crime has no borders, says Assistant Police Commissioner Border Command Donald Yamasombi.
He told a three-day regional workshop on transnational crimes in Port Moresby that for PNG, “the land and sea border with Indonesia is very porous”.
“Smuggling of counterfeit and illicit substances plus illegal crossings are rife,” he said.
Yamasombi said gun-smuggling, poaching of flora and fauna, illegal fishing, illegal crossing of borders and smuggling of illicit items and evading tax on Indonesian products brought to PNG were challenges faced.
He said transnational crimes were committed in more than one country. The planning and financing are done in one country and the offence takes place in another.
Yamasombi said the border divisional command was created by the police commissioner in September last year.
“It covers four policing commands in three provinces – West Sepik, East Sepik and the South Fly and North Fly commands of Western.”
He said the objectives of the workshop were to:

• Promote transnational crime awareness in key provincial commands which were vulnerable to transnational crime;
• understand key transnational crime types – foster relationships between international partners;
• understand the international transnational crime environment, including the Pacific region; and,
• Foster the role and responsibility of the Pacific Transnational Crime Network and the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre in Samoa.

Members of transnational crime units and police commanders from Daru, Kiunga, Vanimo, Wewak, Madang, Lae, Kokopo, Manus, Bougainville, Kerema, Kimbe, Alotau and Port Moresby are attending the workshop on tackling transnational crime.