29 Nov 2010

Call for more women in Bougainville community police force

4:39 pm on 29 November 2010

The president of the North Bougainville Women's Federation is calling for more women police officers in the autonomous Papua New Guinea province.

A restucturing of the region's police force predicted to cost 17 million US dollars is earmarked to begin next year in response to longstanding law and order problems.

But Hona Holan says the restructuring only applies to policing in the town of Buka and not to the community auxiliary police or CAPS.

She says a lack of training means many cases investigated by male CAPS are never completed but that's not the case with the women officers.

"Women do take more responsible or they will want to pursue on the case. Because I work closely with a few of the CAPS in the village and the magistrates, a few women magistrates in the village, they really do a good job. They always make sure cases are complete or they attend to cases and make sure cases are brought forward to the courts."

The president of the North Bougainville Women's Federation, Hona Holan.