Police brutality in PNG

Editorial

THE police force needs to tighten the reins on some of its personnel as there seems to be an element of opportunism and militancy rife in its ranks.
This has been a perpetual problem for the Royal Constabulary for some time now.
The State’s chief law enforcement agency and the public servants whose job it is to keep the peace and maintain order in our society has, at times, taken liberty with their constitutional responsibilities.
While one can argue that the police force has been treated shabbily, in terms of budgetary allocations, by successive governments over the years, it is also fair to say that this plight has been shared by other departments.
There just is not enough of the cake to go around.
Take a look at rural health services around the country, and the level of deterioration, the dilapidation of facilities and the state of housing for its workers.
We yearn for the return of the once ever-present aid posts that dotted districts and provided valuable life-saving and basic but nevertheless important healthcare service.
Those days have made way for a new era when our numbers have increased almost exponentially and have far outstripped the state and even the private sector’s ability to cater for the masses.

The police force has it tough for sure but they are, by no means, alone in this disorder of inadequate logistical support and an ever-present lawlessness hiding just below the surface of the country’s seemingly stable and grounded populace.
Still that is no excuse, no justification to treat citizens with what borders on contempt.
Social media today has many allegations levelled against the force on the excessive force used by some officers when dealing with the public. This kind of behaviour has been going on for years.
It is a stain on the good name of the force and indeed on the upright and professional service men and women that work to keep the law and order constant in our communities.
Acting Police Commissioner Francis Tokura may not solve this kind of rot in his short term but he should, at the very least, clamp down on any questionable and downright criminal behaviour by members of his force.
This includes police brutality which is now the default behaviour for a good number of supposedly disciplined members of the constabulary.
Tokura and his deputies must take a long hard look at the type of recruit that enters the force and is eventually armed and given the authority to run amok and do as they see fit and not to the dictates of the laws of the land.
Police officers must be seen as keepers of the peace and helpers of those who are hurt, injured or in any kind of danger.
They must be the ones we all turn to for protection and to uphold our rights.
In a civilised society that is their purpose and what they are trained for, however it seems some members of the Royal PNG Police Constabulary have turned a blind eye to those ideals.