No need for tight security: EC

 THE Electoral Commission says there is no need to tighten security during the Samarai-Murua by-election as Milne Bay is known to be a peaceful province.

Commission’s media officer Alphonse Muapi said police would be only needed at known hotpots.

Muapi was responding to comments by the provincial police commander Joseph Morehari over the lack of funding to police to provide security during the by-election.

Morehari had submitted a K400,000 budget to the commission for security operations during the polling and counting periods. “We are not able to expand our means within the K2.5 million Government allocation despite making submissions for K4.5 million,” Muapi said.

He said election was everybody’s business and urged locals in the electorate to ensure the process ran smoothly.

Morehari said police were likely to reduce their manpower during the by-election because of funding lack.

Morehari said they had not received a response from the Electoral Commission on the K400,000 budget they had submitted. 

“We had planned to assign two police officers each to the 24 polling teams, but this may be reduced to one officer to a team,” Morehari said.