Police badly in need of housing, transport

LACK of proper infrastructure and facilities has resulted in many cases not being investigated and attended to by the police, an official says.
Gulf police commander Silas Wayagure raised the concern and called on the Gulf government and the local level governments to do something about transport and accommodations problems
Wayagure said police personnel, mainly new recruits deployed to Gulf, were forced to return to Port Moresby because they lacked proper accommodation and transport.
As a result, they found it difficult to send officers to attend to reported cases in the villages close to the sea and rivers.
“There are no police barracks. Many officers, including the ones in other departments, live in houses and flats owned by the housing commission while others are still looking for houses,” Wayagure said.
“Currently, the stations at Kaintiba, Ilu, and Baimuru have one police officer and Kikori Station has three officers trying to maintain order in these areas with a population of 9,000-10,000.
“Three quarters of complaints are from villages near the sea and river, most of these cases are not investigated because of limited manpower and resources,” he said.