National intelligence does not exist, says Juffa

 NATIONAL security is under threat and the office of the National Intelligence Organisation (NIO) is non-existent, an MP said.

Northern Governor Gary Juffa, a former intelligent officer with Customs, said during question time in Parliament last Friday, that the office of the NIO did not exist and that the government had not considered national security.

He said the organisation was once an effective agency but its numbers had dropped from 80 to 40.

He said its officers could not provide intelligence information to the government.

He called on the government to establish a national security adviser position, considering the importance of national security when the country was experiencing a resource boom and economic turnover.

“There were many threats the country is experiencing like the border incursions, illegal poaching and recent clash with PNG citizens and Indonesian soldiers and the shooting of an Indonesian,” he said.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill admitted that the NIO had  been sleeping like every government security agency.

He said there was a need to improve and the government must intervene to improve performance.

He said many officers had left and vacancies existed. He  has instructed the Chief Secretary to look into improving the NIO’s performance.

He also said the government would consider the creation of anational security advisor and it is also looking at the appointment of a permanent director general of the NIO.