Tokura: Police only authority to provide security

THE Bougainville Police Service (BPS) is the only authority mandated by law to provide security for the referendum, says Deputy Commissioner and Bougainville police chief Francis Tokura.
He issued a warning stressing that BPS was created as the result of the Bougainville Peace Agreement in 2001, and was the sole legal authority under the law to regulate, enforce and provide security in Bougainville and that should be understood by every citizen.
Tokura said the BPS status should not be compromised or duplicated in anyway by any unauthorised personnel or group during the referendum process.
“We are ready to provide security and I am calling on all Bougainvilleans to work with the policemen and women that will be deployed in ensuring a free, fair and credible referendum,” he said.
The commander urged the people and leaders of faction groups to lay aside their differences and cooperate with each other.
“This is a very crucial time, we all must bury our differences and egos. This process will decide the future of Bougainville and we all must stand united,” he said.
Tokura said police would provide security around the polling booths and escort polling officials and material to and from polling venues.
“There will not be any policemen or women inside the polling booths, this is where the retuning officer and the polling officials will conduct the polling and the people given the privacy to speak for themselves.
“Apart from these, the security responsibility rest on each individual citizen to behave and act responsibly,” Tokora said.
Meanwhile BPS received logistical help from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) through the PNG- Australia policing partnernership (PNG-APP) programme last week.
AFP mission commander Bruce Giles presented five vehicles, four 60hp (HP) Mercury outboard engines, police uniforms and general purpose (GP) boots to acting deputy chief BPS Paul Kamuai.
Giles said though APF were not present on Bougainville, the AFP mission in PNG always had the intention to help BPS in whatever ways they could.