Over 500 members due for retirement ‘still active’

MORE than 560 members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary at retirement age or over are still on active duty throughout the country, Asst Comm of Police for Human Resource Johannes Yapi says.
He said 149 of this group would be the first batch to be retrenched by the end of the year.
“We have already done the calculation of their final entitlements and are currently doing quality checks before submitting the list to the Department of Personnel Management (DPM),” Yapi said.
He said once the DPM was satisfied with their calculations, the list would be submitted to the Treasury Department for final endorsement.
Yapi said the 149 members would only be put off the payroll once their retirement funds had been released.
He said his office had so far identified 566 members from constables to assistant police commissioners.
But he said the retirement exercise would be done in batches depending on the availability of funds, his office’s work load, the force’s manpower needs and the availability of recruits and officers to replace them in their respective positions.
“So far, 149 in the first batch will be put off the payroll by the end of the year depending on the availability of the required funds released from Treasury.”
Meanwhile, Yapi said the police department had recently put 490 members off the payroll for absconding from active duty throughout the country.
“These are young members in their prime years to serve the constabulary and the country.
He said the members were collecting full pay but not working.