Australian police will train recruits: O’Neill

THE training of police officers will be handed over to the Australian police to help address law and order issues and to stop nepotism during the recruitment process.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told Parliament yesterday that law and order issues were becoming a big concern.
“There was no recruitment from 2002 to 2012 in the police force and then again the training only lasts for six months,” he said.
“There is a lot of nepotism ongoing as well because you will find many police officers who do not know how to read and write.”
O’Neill said it was a legacy issue passed down from previous governments. It is why he will be handing over the training of police recruits to the Australian police officers.
“Australians will train our new recruits at the Bomana Police Training College,” he said.
“The college will also be upgraded to become a Pacific Police Training College.
“It will train officers not only from Papua New Guinea but also from other Pacific countries.” O’Neill said they were working on documents to provide immunity to police officers in the line of their duty.
“The immunity will be for both Australian and Papua New Guinean officers. We will also put in a command structure within the police hierarchy to fight nepotism and fight law and order issues,” he said.

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