Transcript
The presence of armed expatriate security personnel, embedded with local police on Port Moresby's streets this month, stirred outrage. PNG's police commissioner Gary Baki explained that he was looking at the services of US-based Laurence Aviation & Security Group, to train local forces to provide security at next year's APEC summit in PNG. Mr Baki, who has been trying to address the force's well-documented disiplinary problems, says that in order to prepare for APEC, his officers would benefit from the expertise of the former American military and police officers
"They observed some of the activities and some of the behaviours of my men on the ground. You know this constabulary is faced with so much accusations and allegations of police brutality. And that is what they are telling us and helping us in correcting some of those behaviours as well too."
Mr Baki says he was forced to seek the firm's help because PNG's partnership with the Australian Federal Police doesn't provide assistance in areas such as cybercrime, intelligence and serious armed incidents. But the Kavieng MP Ben Micah says the Commissioner should have explored options with the AFP
"They can provide technical, advice or support, but not to deploy Australian Federal Police on the streets of Port Moresby. That's a different thing. Gary Baki is saying that he brought these people to train the police. I'm saying that there is existing in the framework of AusAID funding for the Law and Justice Sector funds to train PNG police."
Mr Micah raised concern that Mr Baki is also considering help from Indonesian police.
"He brought in Mickey Mouse, and now he's talking about bringing in Indonesians.. come on! Look, if this is the type of police commissioner we're going to have, forget APEC. I'm going to ring Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and tell them not to come."
In another case, the Police Internal Affairs directorate recently arrested a Moresby-based senior policeman and charged him with raising an unauthorised force. Sergeant Jimmy Maiko had recruited 17 civilians, mostly children of policemen, acquired police uniforms for them and deployed them for police duties in the Gordons market area where crime is persistent. The capital's assistant police commissioner, Sylvester Kalaut, said while the constabulary wasn't entirely aware of the sergeant's move, there was a possibility it was for a good purpose. He admits police have a distinct lack of manpower in areas like this.
"In the National Capital District we do have reservists and auxillaries or special constables who are performing duties at the police station. Most of them in fact all of them don't get paid. They just come to assist the regular police here to police. And most of them have contributed their time for some of them it is more than 10 years 15 years ago."
Mr Kalaut says he feels the personnel who Sgt Maiko recruited could still be deployed as special constables by the Police Commissioner for a period of six months, as there is a need for their role.
