Police push for peace

 SOUTHERN Highlands will soon roll out the police modernisation programme, Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga said on Monday.

Speaking during the leadership summit in Port Moresby, he said the programme would be implemented  in the province ahead of major towns because of the partnership and support of Governor William Powi.

He said Powi took the lead to address law and order issues and supported the law and justice sector, including major support for police work in the province.

He said the modernisation programme started in the National Capital District last year and later rolled out to other major cities like Lae, Mt Hagen and Rabaul.

The programme included uniforms and logistics to enable the police force to address law and order and attend to public complaints.

He said the programme would make the work of police more effective and efficient and it would become community support oriented.

Kulunga said every shift would have its own vehicles and use when staff turned up for duty so there would be no excuse for lack of vehicles.

Powi said his key development priorities were stipulated in the recently-launched provincial master plan that addressed five key development agendas – education, health, infrastructure, growing the economy and improving the law and justice programme in the province.

Powi said his focus was to make the province peaceful to allow development to take place.

He said among funding and support given to the law and justice sector are the K1 million recruitment programme, the funding and establishment of the 40-man Poroma Police Highway Patrol Unit, the K5 million funding of the Kagua police station and the funding of a home for the national court judge in Mendi.

Powi said his provincial government had embarked on establishing rural correctional services as part of his support to the sector.

Powi revealed that his government would bring three fully-fitted mobile containers from Israel for police operations and making the highways trouble-free.

He said the containers will be multipurpose as they would be used as living and work stations fitted with mobile communication and information technology and based at Kaupena and Lai River bordering Nipa-Kutubu and Imbonggu to mount regular road blocks to protect the PNG LNG project sites and other resource development.