Law and order policing challenges in Gulf, Northern, Milne Bay

LAW and order issues and woes have remained thorny since Papua New Guinea (PNG) secured Independence in 1975. The National’s senior reporter CLIFFORD FAIPARIK spoke to Acting Region Police Commander Asst Comm (ACP) John Maru on policing in Southern Command.

THE Southern region command is mostly water logged and a tough region for policing despite a boom in economic activities that include oil and gas projects, says ACP John Maru.
“It is also a haven for transnational criminal activities, with growing and rising domestic law and order problems for Northern, Gulf and Milne Bay provinces. Western is also in the region, but is now under the border command under the new police command structure.
Also, the National Capital District (NCD) and Central are in Southern but it has its own command under NCD/Central Division.
“We have only 196 men spread over 324,607 sq km to police 610,403 people,” he added.

ACP Maru …police need to refocus its operations
ACP Maru said: “This predominantly maritime region covers vast sea areas that borders with Australia, Indonesia and the Solomon Island. It has rugged isolated coastlines and hundreds of islands scattered within the seas especially in Milne Bay.
“It also has rugged mountainous terrains covered with thick tropical rain forest jungles, large swamps, vast savannah grassland and many large river networks with many deltas and tributaries, especially in Gulf.
“This is why Southern is truly a haven for:

• BOOT legging (illegal alcohol and cigarette smuggling);
• GUNS (firearms) and drug smuggling;
• POACHING and smuggling of plants and animals;
• HUMAN smuggling and trafficking;
• LABOUR exploitation; and
• INTERNATIONAL smuggling of hard drugs like cocaine.”

He said the illegal and criminal activities thrived for isolated communities in the rugged geographical terrain that has zero Government services.
“But, Southern is also blessed with natural resources like timber, oil, gas, fish, bechedemers (sea cucumbers), and other natural resources. However the resource developments and illegal activities are happening in isolated areas.
“That is a big challenge for Government enforcement agencies like police, customs, National Fisheries Authority, National Forestry Authority, National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority, Labour, Immigration and the Conservation Environment Protection Authority,” he added.
ACP Maru said: “The recent establishment of oil and gas projects, and other economic developments like logging and oil palm, we are noticing changes and growth in crime.
“The people of this region, once peace loving, are now committing more activities in:

• PIRACY;
• MONEY-RELATED disputes;
• FRAUDS and misappropriation, especially identification theft to falsely claim land ownership of projects;
• ROBBERIES and hold-ups;
• LANDOWNERSHIP issues that are becoming daily;
• MARRIAGE and extended family break-ups;
• VICE activities and prostitutions;
• SALE of daughters for marriages;
• DRUGS and homebrew; and
• SORCERY-RELATED killings.”

In Northern, Maru said: “Law and order is not really that serious because communities are scattered over the vast land and coastal areas. We can move around on vehicles for crime-prevention and policing operations.
“But, we do have piracy woes, especially robberies of betal nut traders between Northern and Morobe along the North coast, and bechedemer buyers along the Northern and Milne Bay coastlines to the south coast.
“But we have a very good PPC in Supt Michael Welly who is doing an excellent job in maintaining command and control over his officers. So law and order … it is not really under control but manageable.
“There is also good support by the provincial government who has provided vehicles, dinghies and funds for renovating Popondetta police station lock-ups.”
He said major economic projects like oil palm, Ioma Viva logging, Kokoda Track tourism and Tufi Dive tourism were driving socio-economic growth for the province.
In Gulf, ACP Maru said: “We have a hard working PPC in Supt Maria Johns. Unfortunately, she lacks logistics support like fuel for dinghy to conduct patrols.
“Gulf is a very difficult terrain and is a logistical nightmare because of the vast sea and coastal areas, rivers, swamps, hills and mountains that are covered by thick tropical rainforest.
“Recently, she arrested 17 suspects in Wabo where the Papuan LNG is being developed at the Gulf-Chimbu border. They alleged or claimed that the Wabo villagers killed one of their clansman for sorcery and demanded K500,000 and seven cassowaries.
“The suspects were harassing the Wabo villagers, so she went up there, arrested them put them in a dinghy and brought them down the Purari River and locked them up in Kikori police station.
“But there was no fuel to bring them to Kerema. After detaining them for two weeks, we had to release them. If not, it would be in breach of human rights.
“Also the provincial government is not supporting the police, unlike the Northern and Milne Bay governments. But developers like Total are providing some logistical support and are also planning to build a police station in Wabo.
“Logging operators, Oil Search, the Kutubu and Gobe oil developers and Exxon Mobil LNG gas developers are also supporting police in logistics. However, it is better if the provincial government assisted.”
ACP Maru said there was a rise in gun and drug-related activities, boot legging, poaching and smuggling of plants and animals, human smuggling/trafficking and labour exploitation, especially in Kikori.
“This district is rugged and isolated where all the major rivers in the Highlands flow into the Gulf basin. We also have reports of guns and ammunitions smuggled from Australia for marijuana from the Highlands.
“Smuggling of cigarettes and alcohol is mostly from Indonesia where trading is with the locals for barramundi fish and Jew fish. The barramundi air sacs and Jew fish maws are in high demand for their medicinal purposes.
“For example, Jew fish fetches about K4,000/kg in Merauke but is bought for about K50/kg from villagers in Kikori. The Indonesians, with the help of locals, come to Kikori via Western.
“There are also reports of smuggling of alcohol, cigarettes and other contrabands on logging ships. Also birds like the Bird of Paradise are taken overseas. There are also reports of human smuggling /trafficking and Labour exploitation in the logging camps and also over harvesting of logs”.
The genuine and major investors in Gulf are:

• ELK-Antelope Gas Projects (Total Gas) PNG LNG;
• THE Kumul platform for facilitating the export of crude oil from Southern Highlands ;
• THE LNG gas pipe line from Hela gas fields to the exporting facility in Central;
• RIMBUNAN Hijau forest projects in Kuri, Faia, Purari and Kapari logging camps, the Faia inlet logging pond, and the Teridau saw mill.

“In Milne Bay, we have very good support from the provincial government and Members of Parliament, just like in Northern. Milne Bay governor John Luke Criton had funded a new communications system for the police.
“Unfortunately, we have leadership problems, with PPCs failing to enforce command and control of his men, and maintaining a working relationship with the mobile squads.
“These have resulted in an increase in police brutality cases like the burning down of the Kitavi and Daga settlements.
“The brutality cases arise from frustrations in pursuing the notorious criminal, Tommy Baker Maeva, and the remnants of his gang members.
“Apart from our own in-house management issues which we will soon sort it out with an appointment of a PPC, we are also bogged by logistics and manpower problems for our water policing directorate.
“This has resulted in a surge in piracy and robberies in Bwagaoia on the isolated Misima Island. Milne Bay is truly a vast maritime province with more than 300 islands scattered all over the Solomon Sea.
“The Russell and the Sudest group of islands are the furthest to the Solomon Island border. And half of these islands are uninhabited.
“And that provides good landings and hideouts for international boats and yachts linked to international drug and cocaine cartels.
“The drugs are bound for the black markets in New Zealand and Australia on vessels from Aisa, like the Budibudi Island incident. These activities have been going on for a while and I don’t have the ability to patrol that area.”
Apart from the international drug activities, ACP Maru said: “We have piracy nightmares for every islander along the rugged coastlines on the mainland.
“Everyone in Milne Bay fear the sea pirates. When they are travelling to and from their islands to Alotau, they are always thinking whether they will make it safely without running into pirates.
“And with the coming schools holidays, parents are mindful of that. There will be a lot of food and cash transactions. Piracy is also rife during the bechedemer season.”
There are also significant economic-driven activities in Milne Bay that include oil palm plantations, sea cumber harvesting, logging on Fergusson Island and tourism.”
ACP Maru said the only way to improve and resolve law and order issues in the region “is to forge good and sustainable cooperation between the police with other Government agencies and provincial governments to help overcome the massive manpower and logistical shortfalls.
“The police force also need to refocus its operations, from the traditional concentration on land to upgrading the water police directorate, especially in Southern because three quarters of policing security coverage is along waterways,” he added.