Consider welfare of police officers

PUBLIC complaints made against members of the Police force who abuse their powers and bully citizens has become a major concern.
Police brutality reports has no doubt tarnished the good name of the Constabulary and that has made the public to lose their trust in the very people mandated to serve and protect life.
The fact that this has been going on for a long time cannot be overlooked.
However, the good citizens of this country should know that not all policemen and women are ill-disciplined.
It is a shame that the actions of a few tarnish the effort and dedication put in day in day out by officers who are wholeheartedly committed to serve.
In almost every police station, the same problems such as lack of stationery, vehicles being grounded due to mechanical problems, no fuel, cells being run down, and other logistical problems are common.
The situation regarding welfare of serving members are even worse. There are not enough police housing to accommodate every member.
Even the ones fortunate enough to be housed in the barracks are living in poor conditions.
In some cases, the house are run down, have no running water and no power. Some members are even using their salary to rent in the settlements.
Being a police officer is not easy. Dealing with people is very challenging if you are entrusted to quell law and order issues, bearing in mind the constabulary’s manpower to Papua New Guinea’s population ratio.
The Police Minister (Bryan Kramer) and the Government should look into improving the welfare and working conditions of the members in order to boost morale so productive output in policing can be achieved.
If an officer’s welfare is in order, then he or she will give his or her utmost best in serving the community.
Refresher courses and workshops should be accessed and attended regularly in order to sharpen their policing skills.
Members should have psychological assessment performed regularly by certified psychiatrists because of the level of stress in dealing with all sorts of complaints; seeing horrific crime scenes such as homicides, fatal traffic accidents and going through shootings etc.
As human beings, police officers are prone to make mistakes at times whilst performing their duties.
There are disciplinary processes and procedures to deal with this officers – guided by the Police Force Act.
The Internal Investigation Unit (IIU) is there to deal with public complaints and allegations made against members of the constabulary.
The Police minister should start by looking into ways to empower the constabulary rather than isolating its members.
With major reshuffles in the department’s structure and no permanent commissioner of Police, the constabulary looks clueless.
Show trust in the acting/COP and let him and his hierarchies, all of whom combined, have much more experience, to run the Police Force.
The Police minister and the Government, with accordance with the constabulary, should rehabilitate and refurbish existing plans and impose new policies to improve delivery of Police service.
Winning back the trust and confidence of the public is only one piece of the puzzle.
Balancing social media policing with actual policing and show plans and policies to improve the welfare and working conditions of police men and women throughout the country is another thing.
To the honest and faithful serving members of the RPNGC, the Good Lord is watching, for you have sworn an Oath to protect and serve. Keep up the good work.

Bulolo Armourer