Policing deal signed
The National, Tuesday July 2nd, 2013
QUEENSLAND Police and Community Safety Minister Jack Dempsey met with Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in Townsville last weekend to discuss policing operations in PNG.
An agreement between the Queensland and PNG governments will see up to 150 Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers given the opportunity to serve in PNG.
“The QPS has a long association with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) dating back to 1911,” Dempsey said last Friday before the meeting.
Before the meeting, he said he was looking forward to meeting O’Neill to discuss the ways QPS officers could help improve operations and protocols within the RPNGC and best fight crime.
“The QPS is renowned for its mentoring and training capacity and I have no doubt their presence in PNG will be of great assistance to the entire country.
“While the programme will be entirely voluntary, it gives QPS officers an avenue for career development and the opportunity to work in a new and challenging environment.”
Dempsey said the PNG Government would meet all costs associated with the program and had the opportunity to send up to 150 of its own officers to Queensland for training and development.
“It is in our best interests to have a safe and secure border and I look forward to discussing how we can best achieve this with the prime minister,” he said.