Police urged to talk about crimes

By ELIAS LARI
PROVINCIAL police commanders (PPCs) who are reluctant to speak to the media about crimes and other law and order issues affecting their provinces must change because policing is a public concern, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Joseph Tondop says.
Tondop, who is the ACP Highlands Eastern end commander, said policing was a public concern and people had the right to know what was happening with law and order in their provinces.
He said PPCs who refused to release information on crimes and law and order issues were not serving the public interest.
Tondop said policing was not a private business and people had the right to know about law and order issues in the community.
He said the PPCs’ position required them to make public statements to inform people as well as maintaining good public relations.
“People need to know what we do because policing is a public concern and we have to speak of what we are experiencing,” he said.
Tondop said PPCs needed to understand that the only way to get their information and message or make awareness to the people was through the media. “We have to perform our duties in public and bring policing back to the people to create an understanding with them,” he said.
“We have to maintain the public confidence.”
Tondop advised the three PPCs under his command (Western Highlands, Jiwaka and Chimbu) to use the media as much as they could.
He said public trust and confidence in the police force was the key area that would attract public cooperation.
He told the PPCs not to “fear” the media or “bad reporting” or “keep silent” but to work with the media and the public in order to build public trust and confidence.
Tondop said this would also help with transparency and accountability.