Police managers urged to do more

By BUSTIN ANZU
POLICING standards in the country have fallen because of the lack of control and command by line managers, a senior officer said.
“It is a sad situation the Royal PNG Constabulary is encountering today,” Assistant Commissioner of Police human resources Alfred Reu said when closing a control and command course in Madang last Friday.
 “We have seen a complete fall in controlling and commanding of members under our units,” he said.
“There is no longer respect for the office we hold because line managers are not performing to expectation,” he said.
The course was funded by the Australia federal police (AFP) under the Australia-PNG partnership programme (APP) and facilitated by the Momase police training officers.
Three commissioned officers from Lae, Morobe, were part of 14 members selected from within the region, including three policewomen.
He said many officers who had the rank were “dead-scared” to take control and give commands.
“They rely heavily on their senior officers to do that while they keep themselves low,” he said.
“If they do not take ownership and command and control today, the police force will collapse,” he said.
Momase deputy commander Allan Kundi said with the new developments, especially in the mining sector, the constabulary needed visionary leaders.
He told the course participants the increase in population “is a worrying trend for the constabulary as the aging police force is decreasing in numbers.
He also said if nothing was done soon, there would be a big “management gap” once the senior officers depart the police force.
AFP’s Peter Bradley urged the course participants to take the knowledge and skills taught in theory and make use of them practically.
Course manager and Madang’s provincial training officer Kumaul Maba said the participants learnt leadership, management and planning, preparing and executing operational orders.
Insp Pauline Siaguru, one of the three female course participants, from Lae, said the department needed to run more of such courses.