20,000 pose threat to society

By JUNIOR UKAHA
AT least 20,000 people who pose a security risk to members of the community are on the loose and roaming freely in our societies, a top prison official said yesterday.
Correctional Services Commissioner Martin Balthazar told a security meeting in Port Moresby that the pre­sence of these individuals in the community was a concern for everyone as some of them were dangerous.
Balthazar said from 1990-2010 about 5,000 escapes were recorded in prison facilities throughout PNG.
He said that coupled with escapes from police cells, community-based correctional centres and others added to about 20,000.
He said despite the presence of the escapees in the community, people were not handing them in or reporting them to authorities.
“Our culture is affecting the rule of law in the country,” Balthazar said.
“Just because someone is somebody’s brother, uncle, cousin or father he is not handed in.
“There are large number of criminals out there and if Papua New Guineans do not start bringing in suspects, then we have a big problem,” he said.
He said this point needed to be considered when drafting the national security policy. 
Balthasar said it was time people changed their attitudes and removed the “save man syndrome”.
“Culture and corruption combined are the biggest threats to the rule of law in our society,” he said.
He said law enforcement and prison officials were bribed to allow convicts to escape from cells.
He said strong jails and prisons could be built by the government and its development partners but if escapees and criminals could not be handed in to be locked up in there it would be a big problem.