Lae water police in need of base

THE water police unit in Lae need a permanent base to operate from, Assistant Commissioner of Police Logistics Tony Duwang says.
Duwang recently visited Voco Point where the unit is temporarily based.
“We need to have land near the waterfront for the water police headquarters – ideal for policing the coastline,” he said.
“Our response time and other police services will be easy to attend to. Right now, there is no office.”
Duwang requested the Morobe government or the Lae City Council to allocate a piece of land on the waterfront to set up a water police base.
He said a lot of crimes were being committed at sea which police should have attended to.
“Water policing is an important element of the constabulary. Policing our waters and the coastlines is one of our priority areas,” he said.
“The crime trend has change and we have to monitor closely our waters.”
Northern Command Divisional Commander Peter Guinness said the water police unit was similar to the rapid response units on land.
He said a request for funding for a water police headquarters was made to the provincial government last year. They have not received a reply.
“Our request for funding also includes a portion of land near the waterfront at Voco Point,” Guinness said.
Northern Command water police coordinator Chris Smith said sea policing was challenging.