Village courts plan revamped

The National Main Stories

THE Department of Justice and Attorney General has revitalised the village courts system 2020-2030 plan as a crime prevention strategy.It is in line with the department’s top priorities for the 18,480-strong village court officials to focus on crime prevention efforts.The strategy was launched by Australian Consul-General Mark Foxe, Morobe government, law and justice sector agencies and witnessed by department secretary and Attorney-General Dr Eric Kwa in Lae, Morobe, yesterday. Dr Kwa said the strategy would look at governance of village court systems, giving prominence to village court officials and land mediators at community and village levels.“Village courts are the heartbeat of rule of law in the country,” he said. “Village court officials and land mediators are the ones dealing with real issues of law and order daily. “They have been the ones putting out the fires nationwide.“Unfortunately, since Independence, we have not been able to give them the recognition and support that they deserve. “We have changed the focus and the village courts revitalisation programme will now be the flagship of the law and justice sector.”Dr Kwa said all 17 law and justice sector agencies would support the programme because that was where they would resolve all issues of lawlessness.“We can be able to reduce, eliminate, and cut down those issues in communities,” he said. “We are going to re-transform the structures from department down to the local level government and we are also trying to reform the salary structure.”
The strategy’s seven main focus areas are to:

  •  IMPROVE ability to manage the village courts system;
  • STRENGTHEN accountability and good governance in the system;IMPROVE community policing, safety, crime prevention and respect for rule of law;
  • IMPROVE access to justice;
  • IMPROVE reconciliation, reintegration and deterrence;
  • SRENGTHEN community leadership, civic participation and partnership; and,
  • MODERNISE village courts infrastructure.

There are 18,480 village court officials in 1,680 proclaimed and gazetted village courts establishments and 1,424 land mediators in 356 land mediation divisions in the country.Dr Kwa said under the strategy, there would be properly-built court houses with well-trained officers who would be equipped to write reports.