Boost for police manpower

By REBECCA KUKU
GOVERNMENT has commissioned a second police training centre in Gusap, Morobe, to be known as the Regional Training Centre in efforts to bolster the force’s manpower needs.
Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jnr said that the current police to population ratio was one police officer to 1,845 citizens (1:1,845).
“Uniform police numbers in December 2021 were 6,535,” he said.
“Since then, the Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) has not recruited any new officers.
“Taking into consideration deaths, termination, retirement, and organisational separation has reduced this figure to just 5,600 uniformed officers.”
“Simply put, how can we expect our men and women in uniform to make a difference when their numbers in proportion to the population are so low?” Tsiamalili stated that the Bomana Centre of Excellence, formerly Bomana Police College, had the capacity to train only 640 officers annually.
“Increasing the number of trainees above this threshold is limited by the training facility and instructors,” he said.
“Therefore, the new centre will allow the RPNGC to increase its numbers.
“As a consequence, police numbers and the police-to-citizen ratio will significantly improve as we continue to maintain current support and funding over the next decade.
“Successive governments have given lip service to the RPNGC in terms of increasing its police numbers.
“Official documents (including the Medium-Term Development Plans I, II, III) all committed to increase police numbers.”
“Those commitments have never been matched by political will.
“But that is going to change. This year (2023), for the first time in more than a decade, the Marape Government has significantly increased the Royal PNG Constabulary budget.
“The RPNGC has embarked on a mass recruitment drive, which commenced early this year.
“The recruitment of regular police officers is almost complete, and the training of the first 320 recruits will begin in April 2023.”