While the country is anticipating the Golden Anniversary of the nation, Commander for Northern Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Peter Guinness recently celebrated 50 years of service with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC).
He was attested as a policeman on the 11th of April 1975 at the Bomana Police Collage.
ACP Peter Guinness joined the RPNGC at a tender age of 16. Guinness who hails from Biwat in the Angoram District of East Sepik Province had always looked up to his father who was a policeman back in the day.
At only seven years of age, Guinness had already set his mind and heart to becoming a police officer one day.
“My father was a Senior Constable at that time, and he was my mentor and I always wanted to become a policeman just like him,” says Guinness.
Just like most policeman’s kid, Guinness was born and grew up in another province away from home, where his father was serving. He was born in Kaiapit, a station in the Morobe Province and later his father got transferred to Manus Province where he spent his childhood growing up in the little Island province.
It was late 1974, Papua New Guinea was still under the Australian Government but the whispers about gaining Independence became louder and echoed in every corner of the country. A lot of indigenous people did not fully understand what it was and what it would bring. Some said there will be no services and no jobs as Australians would leave the country with all that they brought with them.
“I was convinced that when the white men leave PNG and return to their country, most of the jobs created will not be there anymore and I will waste my time going to school and when I finish school, I will have nothing to do” Guinness recalled.
He was in grade nine at that time and these rumours made him lost all hope to continue his education. Initially, he wanted to join the army and was about to sit in for the interview when his mom disagreed on the idea of him joining the army. Later that year, there was a call out for anyone interested to join the Police Force and Guinness without a second thought gave it a shot.
“Even though I always wanted to be a policeman, I still didn’t think I would get accepted into Police Training,” Guinness humbly said.
Mr Guinness, like every other small-town boy, had a bicycle that he would ride around the little laid-back town and come home in the evenings for bath and dinner or when mama’s calling for him. One afternoon it was a little different, he came home on his bike after a ride to the beach, to a very quiet mom which was unusual for a Sepik mother. Worried what went wrong he approached his mom. She looked at him and with a sad face told him the good news of his life. Little did she know that what she presumed to be her sad news would have a golden celebration 50 years later.
“I was very excited that I will be going for Police Training but unfortunately my parents didn’t have enough to pay for my necessities before leaving so I sold my bicycle and bought them and that was the start of my Police Journey,” a curvy smile escaped his face as he recalled this.
50 years on and Guinness with the same love for his job as he had when he first joined the organisation was given a front seat at the Lae Yacht Club to be celebrated for his dedication and loyalty in serving the country. He sat with a humble smile pasted across his face all throughout as his colleagues, families and friends took turns to speak about his achievements, mentorship, and invaluable contributions to their lives as well as the organisation.
Present at the occasion were Metropolitan Superintendent for Lae Metro, Provincial Police Commanders for Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Madang and Simbu provinces, Australian Federal Police members, colleagues, friends, and families of Mr Guinness who came with gifts and speeches to celebrate this achievement.
It was an emotional moment for some as they recalled how selfless, dedicated, and supportive he was as a leader, colleague, father, and a good friend. His love for his job extended through the way he portrayed himself around his families, friends, and the communities he lived in.
Mr Guinness had a long career journey. As he climbed up the ranks of RPNGC he was moved from one section of the Force to another which also meant moving from one province to another.
“When I graduated after Bomana Police Collage, I took my first posting to Mt Hagen and served in the General Duties for five years. From Mt Hagen, I was transferred to Goroka and served there for another five to six years before transferring again to Lae. While I was serving in Goroka, I got my first promotion as a First Constable and when I served in Lae, I got promoted to Senior Constable and then gradually I went up the rank to Sergeant, Senior Sergeant, skipped a rank and got my Officer rank as an Inspector then to Senior Inspector before transferring back to Port Moresby.
“In Port Moresby, I was Commander of Tactical Response Unit (TRU) and served in that unit for two to three years and later moved to becoming the Officer in Charge (OIC) for Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in NCD. I was already holding the rank of Chief Inspector at that time then got promoted again to Superintendent. I then moved to the Police Headquarters and acted on the position as the Director for Crimes Division,” Guinness recounted.
With every elevation in his career, Mr Guinness also elevated his level of education. He took time to pursue his education journey ensuring his knowledge capacity is as rich as his work experiences.
While he was Acting Director Crimes, Guinness also pursued his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy Management and graduated before transferring back to Lae as Provincial Police Commander for Morobe Province. He was then elevated to the rank of Chief Superintendent. He later got transferred back to Port Moresby as Director Crimes and not long was elevated to the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police and returned to Lae as the Commander for the Northern Command.
“I served most of the years in my Policing Career in the Morobe Province,” 66-year-old Guinness proudly said.
Guiness has a vast and rich experience in the Police Force and is one of the few police officers that had climbed up the rank and file. He, however, is the only one who made it from a Probational Constable to an Assistant Commissioner of Police. He served the Constabulary prior to Independence and after independence.
In comparing his experiences and views of the Constabulary before and after Independence, he said the Police Force before Independence was very disciplined but lost most of its core values after independence.
“Before Independence, the Police Force was operating very well, the organisation was running perfectly and smoothly and even after independence in 1975 and up but as the years go by the operation of the RPNGC started to deteriorate because the government at that time did not look at Police Force as an organisation that needs support.
” The Police Force is not a moneymaking organisation and the lack of commitment from the government to improve the organization allowed it to disintegrate,” Guinness stressed.
He said the government at that time did not consider the pressing issues of the police force, especially on issues like refurbishing and rebuilding the police barracks and police stations and providing vehicles to ease their jobs. This has resulted in a decline in the performances of the members due to lack of moral support from the government.
He said the welfare of an officer is very important but with the less attention given to this overtime has seen discipline gradually eroding. He also said command and control is not there and that is very concerning as a longtime and loyal member of the Force.
“A way to bring back the culture and system of this organisation is to regenerate enthusiasm.
“I am happy that the problem that has been here for so long is currently being looked at by the Commissioner of the day. This is not his problem nor a problem that he created but it has been here overtime and every step taken to improve the operation of the Constabulary is good,” Guinness said.
He also stressed on the breakdown of discipline in the force. He said in the past, there were no such thing as having extended families living in the barracks which seem to be a practise today. Everything starts from where a person lives and comes out for work each day and if they are treating the barracks like another settlement, it will show in their attitude towards work as well. One thing he wished to see revived is the level of discipline in the Force.
For Mr Guinness to come this far in his career journey is not only an achievement for himself but for the organisation and his family too. Every successful person always has an untold story of the obstacles and setbacks that came as part of life. Guinness was no different, he had a roller-coaster life in his private life. His personal life was not as how he wanted it to be, but through the storms came fifteen beautiful children and ten grandchildren who became his pillar of strength.
Fifty years of serving the Police Force would mean hundreds of encounters, experiences, and achievements but Guinness said one of which that stood out for him was climbing to the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
“Never in my dreams had I thought I’d wear the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police one day, but I am wearing the ACP rank because of sheer hard work that had prompted me to become the person that I am today” Guinness said.
When asked about the so many experiences he had and if there’s one he’d like to share, Guinness smiled and said being a police officer is a job that you will have so many encounters and a lot to tell but he has always held onto the moments when he was faced with life-threatening situations and how he led his men to overcome these situations, but there were also moments where he lost his policemen during their lines of duty.
“I’ve shared pain and tears with families and loved ones of my men, but we had to keep going because we swore an oath to serve and protect lives and properties. His smile faded as he flashed back on those tragic moments.
“At the end of the day, it was through all these experiences that built me overtime that I was able to make rational and critical decisions and to come out on top,” he said.
He thanked the Constabulary for all the recognitions of his work in having him promoted up the rank and file to where he is now. Apart from his promotions, he was also awarded a Distinguished Police Service Medal (DPS), Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) and a British Empire Medal (BEM).
With all the awards, promotions and experiences Guinness has, he also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy Management which he had obtained at the University of Papua New Guinea and got his Master’s in Public Administration at the Divine Word University. Guinness loved his job as a policeman. To him it wasn’t just a job he applied to become but a job he dreamt of becoming since he was seven. He said being a policeman is a dream come true and a motivation in life.
Commander for Northern, ACP Peter Guinness (Centre)with colleagues he had worked closely with over the years during his 50 years anniversary celebration at the Lae Yacht Club.