Lae police raises welfare issues

POLICEMEN and women in Lae have raised series of concerns regarding their welfare to Police Minister Bryan Kramer during a visit on Thursday.
The concerns include housing for police officers, medical cover, the provision of equipment, and retirement benefits among others.
One major concern raised was a lack of facilities and a proper system in place for forensic evidence to be presented in court. Police Assistant Commissioner Northern Divisional Command Peter Guinness said officers were not trained and there was no proper system in place to identify and present forensic evidence.
He added that a lack of funds had also affected them in their ability to bring witnesses from outside provinces to Lae to testify in court which resulted in many cases being dismissed by the courts,” Guinness said.
“There’s no money to bring witnesses in and accommodate them and as a result, a good number of cases have been thrown out.”
“When the accused go back, they continue to commit crimes making it difficult for policing.”
Minister Kramer said the effective management of funds was also a factor in the force’s ability to carry out its duties and responsibilities.
“Good administration can help in address these issues,” Kramer said.
He said there was a lot of work to be done in bringing back the police force to where it rightfully belonged.
Acting Lae central police station commander Chief Sgt James Luan said the Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) had a recruitment policy but did not have a retirement policy.
“Many officers have reached retirement age but they don’t want to retire because there’s nothing (retirement funds) left for us,” Luan said.
Kramer in response said the matter was before the National Executive Council (NEC) who were deliberating the public service policy on retirement, health and safety.