Where are the traffic police?

Letters, Normal

CAN the police commissioner tell the people of PNG whether we still have a police traffic division within the police force?
This is a pertinent question because as a taxpayer, I need to know.
I have not seen any traffic police on the roads compared to the late 1980s and 1990s.
I only see National Road Safety officers conducting road blocks.
But they do not check driving licences or undertake any physical inspection of the vehicles to determine their roadworthiness.
There are too many drivers who ignore basic traffic rules, hence endangering the lives of many innocent people.
The police and national government are allowing our roads to become a death trap either unconsciously or consciously.
For example, there are too many drivers who drink and drive, deliberately speeding or driving too slow on the fast lanes, thus holding up traffic.
We also have too many old vehicles  which are no longer roadworthy.
On many occasions, I have observed police vehicles driving behind slow moving vehicles along the busy Poreporena Freeway and between Waigani and Gerehu without showing any sign of concern or alarm.
While the LNG project and other major resource projects are attracting an influx of investors as well as our own citizens migrating into our capital city, it is disappointing to see the national government not addressing this issue.
The national government must address these issues because the traffic police division is as good as dead while the police force, as an entity, is very sick.

 

Carka Kirripy
Port Moresby