One day polling for H’lands’ provinces

By JAMES GUMUNO
ONE day polling will be held in Western and Eastern ends of the Highlands region.
According to polling schedule, Hela and Chimbu would stage theirs on the 26th of this month.
This would be followed by Southern Highlands and Jiwaka on June 30 and Enga and Western Highlands on July 4.
Assistant deputy police commissioner and Eastern End police divisional commander Nema Mondia said there would be one-day polling in each province.
Mondia, who now looks after the election security operations in Western Highlands, Jiwaka, and Chimbu, said security personnel were divided into two groups — the polling party and armed support.
He said the polling party, consisting of about 800 policemen and women, would accompany polling teams and move from one province to another, depending on polling dates.
Mondia said the armed support, made up of mobile squads, Defence Force soldiers and Correctional Services officers, would move around and attend to any problems during  polling.
He said the troops flying in from Port Moresby today and tomorrow would be based in districts and some at the provincial headquarters to assist officers.
The provincial police commanders had in place operational plans for them to carry out, Mondia said.