Hopeful law, order budget will help

The National Editorial

THE Government, in its bid to address the escalating law and order situation in the country, allocated K1.15 billion to the Law and Justice Sector in the 2023 National Budget.
Law and order issues have always been hitting the media headlines.
The sector was distributed K1 billion in the 2022 Budget.
Police received the biggest slice of K547 million.
Addressing law and order issues is not for the fainthearted.
The current police numbers stand at around 5,000 and that cannot manage law and order in the country.
The recommended ratio of police officer to citizens was one policeman to 450 people however in PNG it was one policeman to almost 1,100 people.
Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jnr says the increase in manpower would be the ministry’s main focus next year.
We expect to see a slight increase funding for law and order to address ongoing challenges in the sector.
Police presence in the communities would bring an impact and bring about changes.
Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey says the Government aims to lift the size of the police force from 5,000 in 2022 to over 7,000 by
2026.
The Papua New Guinea Defence Force received the second largest allocation with K348.5 million and the Judiciary received the third largest cut in the sector’s allocation with K272 million.
The Government says the budget presented is the “People’s Budget”.
The five areas of focus are:

  • BETTER Infrastructure;
  • BETTER Education;
  • BETTER Health;
  • BETTER Law-and-Justice Sector; and,
  • BETTER Economy.

But the economic prosperity pictured by the Government would be pointless if PNG society is suffering from violence and social disorder.
Apart from investing in programmes to put money into people’s pockets to enable them to access quality products and services, it is simple common sense to also spend money to ensure peace and security in the communities.
There is a whole lot more to crime and lawlessness in our rural communities and urban centres than what is reported in the media.
Many very serious crimes are never attended to because of a breakdown in law and order and lack of law enforcement.
Policing in Papua New Guinea is a full-time job made all the more difficult by inadequate funding from the state.
It has been an ongoing problem with the force lagging behind its neighbours in many areas of police proficiency.
Understaffed and under-equipped, our police men and women are expected to keep the peace and maintain law and order, in most cases on a shoe string budget and with insufficient numbers to properly cover the size of their precincts.
In fact, there are numerous areas in rural PNG where the police presence is almost non-existent save for the occasional visit by a small patrol.
If the Government and the public are wondering why the police force continues to under-perform, it is because they have not been given the tools (this includes better training and recruitment) and the support to do their jobs and carry out their duties in a professional and competent manner.
The efforts of Commissioner David Manning and his commanders in addressing law and order must be commended with the limited resources they had.
Any place can be transformed easily if law and order issues are addressed adequately to allow a conducive environment for business activities and service delivery.