Bring back basic policing principles

DETERRENCE is something that comes to heart with policing.
What we see today is the police force in fancy tinted land cruisers cruising instead of basic foot patrols.
Police presence in hot spots in Port Moresby and other urban areas is missing.
In the past, there were frequent foot patrols, arrest was done and complaints were attended to without delays.
Such actions had dramatic effect on the lives of the ordinary citizens.
Unfortunately, the opposite is happening today.
Calls are made but there are no responses or follow-ups.
Where is the basic policing?
Boroko, once the icon of Port Moresby, has gone to dogs with no proactive deterrence.
Petty crimes are being committed right in front of the metropolitan police station with all the hierarchies and personnel attached to NCD command.
Gordon is another of the areas which has deteriorated and hooligans have taken control of the place basically due to lack of deterrence in crime even though the police station is nearby.
In saying the above, basic policing needs to be reviewed in such a way that before a complex situation arose; some form of deterrence has to there to curtail complex situations.
Simple, effective and efficient strategies which are cost effective have to be derived in reducing crimes in the country.
Basic equipment like two-way radios for individual police officer to do patrolling and other weapons of restrain must be provided before looking at expensive equipment and technologies which do not serve their purpose.
To conclude, revive the Vagrancy Act, and have a look at Singapore’s basic policing methods and adopt them.
If search needs to be conducted on a suspicious individual, so be it, even in a public place.
Forget about human rights as it is ruining our society because mentally and psychologically, we are not “civilized” yet until some hard stands are taken in our legislations, and execution of law.
Think of future generations of this nation and we should start acting now.

Concerned Papua New Guinean
Port Moresby