Port Moresby is looking organized and clean because police officers are working day and night to ensure that the limited resources they have are properly used to manage the populated city, even with fewer than a thousand officers managing more than a million people from different regions, both locally and internationally.
The Commander of the National Capital District and Central Province, Benjamin Turi, thanked his police officers under the leadership of Metropolitan Superintendent Warrick Simatab and Central Provincial Police Commander Joseph Salle. The police officers have been hard at work to keep the command in order.
Commander Turi noted some of the good work the police have done in the command by responding quickly to reported complaints, which helped calm down situations recently. He said notable issues the command has responded to over the last two months include stopping the fight between the Engan and Goilala people living at Laloki, conducting a cleanup at Gordons bus stop to minimize petty crime, making a mass arrest of 70 students involved in a city school fight, apprehending one of the suspects who assaulted a female inside the National Football Stadium, and carrying out the mass arrest of 50 protesters from Enga yesterday opposite the Hilton Hotel, alongside other major incidents.
He said the incident at Laloki is under investigation, and some of the suspects have been apprehended, which has calmed the situation. He further added that the arrest of the 70 students has produced positive results; some have been convicted and paid fines, while others will appear in court soon. The cleanup at Gordons and around the city is ongoing, with assistance from the NCDC to clear street vendors and remove undesignated markets across the city.
Commander Turi said that over the weekend, the man who assaulted the Rabaul Gurias supporter was arrested, and his police bail was refused. He further added that police also responded yesterday afternoon to apprehend 50 people who were unlawfully gathering opposite the Hilton Hotel.
“I want to call on the people living in the city: when you are here, you must abide by the city laws and rules, as well as the laws of this country. What you do in your villages and respective towns might be different from Port Moresby, where we have laws in place, and we will not hesitate to enforce them to punish lawbreakers. We are trying our best to manage law and order in the city,” Turi said.
“My call now to the people in the command is to respect each other when traveling into Port Moresby or moving into Central Province. You all come here for your own reasons, and we will not stop you from coming, but all we ask is that you respect each other and abide by the rules and laws in place. The city must look clean and organized because we have people coming in from around the world. Those of you who break the law will be dealt with accordingly; my officers have been doing this, and we will continue to do so,” Turi said.
He thanked his police officers for their tireless efforts and challenged them to do their jobs without fear or favor so that the city and Central Province remain clean and safe. He said the main focus would remain on the city, as Port Moresby is a mini-PNG.
