Bird suggests forces to have same structure

EAST Sepik Governor Allan Bird has suggested that the constabulary should have a similar administrative structure to the defence force, with its own secretary.
Bird said he had previously suggested that a review of the constabulary structure should be done to mirror that of the defence force.
He wrote on his Facebook page yesterday: “The PNGDF has both commanding general and department secretary.
“This structure ensures that the commander can focus on core responsibilities while the secretary deals with administrative issues.”
He said, currently, the police commander was responsible for core policing duties and administration.
“Given the massive demand for law enforcement in our country, the court decision now forces the Government to seriously consider separating the two important functions,” he said.
“My view is that any police commissioner regardless of his qualifications cannot perform both functions well.
“One or both functions will suffer.
“Having a university degree or a higher degree is not a reliable indicator of leadership ability or management skills.
“Leadership and management are two distinctly different skill sets and are only determined by a level of competence.”
He said the police force had twice the manpower size of the defence force. “The (constabulary) deserves both a commissioner and a department secretary with different qualification requirements for each executive role,” he said.
“This reform must be done quickly so that professional senior police ranks can decide during their career if they wish to stream into administration or leadership.”