Police short of manpower along border in Western

POLICE lack manpower along Papua New Guinea’s international borders in North Fly, Insp Silva Sika has reiterated.
Responding to ACP of border Chief Supt Samson Kua that Western was becoming the leading centre for illegal smuggling of firearms, cocaine and fishing, Sika said: “The problem is there is not enough manpower and there is no permanent house to accommodate officers to work there.”
Sika said if a base was built at the borders of Vanimo, Torres Strait, Daru Island and Bougainville then police could work fulltime in policing the international border.
He said illegal practice in Western was uncontrollable and with the biggest land mass in the country, they had an inadequate number of personnel to police the province.
“Lack of resources is another issue that is everywhere, whatever enough that we have has helped us go out to carry out the job and at least a police presence is there,” he said.
Kua recently said that policing of the border was very hard.
“Network is a problem that some parts of the area, especially Daru, where the Digicel network has not covered every part,” Kua said.
“Illegal activities along international borders like Vanimo, Tabubil and Torres Strait were becoming a concern.”
Kua tol The National on May 13 that policing of the border was “very hard” as manpower and resources were inadequate for the large land mass.
He said its vastness also made it difficult to track down the movement of foreigners who were communicating with locals.
Kua said illegal activities along international borders like Vanimo, Tabubil and Torres Strait were becoming a concern.