Australian police help security team make airports safer for Apec

A GROUP of 34 from companies and government agencies recently attended a two-day course on behavioural assessment and intelligence security in Port Moresby.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Superintendent Darin Ferguson told The National that the programme was facilitated under the PNG-Australia policing partnership programme.
The participants were from the security forces, National Airports Corporation, Tropic Air staff and others.
“The course is an awareness for stakeholders to gain an understanding of the nature of crimes at the airports during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit by reading body language styles and deceptive conduct,” Ferguson said.
The participants were taken through a session of cognitive questioning techniques and ways of reporting suspicious behaviour around Jackson Airport, not only during Apec but also afterwards.
Ferguson said they taught the course using international standards.
A lecturer from the University of Papua New Guinea spoke to them on the aspects of body language using the Melanesian module.
“Body languages for different people in the country can have different meanings as most of them are attributed to the culture and traditions of their place of origin,” Dr Linus Digimrina, head of Anthropology, Sociology and Archaeology at UPNG, said.
He spoke on the ways they could detect threat in the body language using their Melanesian background and cultural understanding.
Airport police station commander Inspector Robert Wane said the participants would be able to detect threats and prevent crimes.