Border command pushes for safer communities through better service delivery

Seated (L-R) PPC WSP Senior Inspector Kuaino, PPC ESP Supt Tamari, Commander Border PPC South Fly, CIP Toroipo, PPC North Fly Inspector Anjap. Back row are, PSC Vanimo, OIC Traffic Tabubil, OIC Prosecution Daru (Image: Supplied)

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary [RPNGC] Border Command is aligning its operations with the Government’s Minimum Service Delivery Policy to ensure that every district and local-level government within the border provinces benefits from consistent and reliable policing.

During a three-day planning workshop this week at Sogeri Motel, ACP Border Commander Steven Francis and his team reviewed how policing structures can better support communities living in some of PNG’s most remote areas.

The workshop brought together provincial police commanders from East Sepik, West Sepik, and Western provinces - regions that often face complex law and order issues linked to isolation, mobility, and cross-border movement.

Commander Francis said the challenge is not the absence of policy but the lack of implementation at the community level.

“The framework is there. The challenge is for agencies to turn it into real, practical action at the community level,” he said.

“For the Border Command, we believe we can pilot new approaches that other divisions can learn from.”

The Command’s new five-year strategy aims to make policing more visible and responsive, focusing on community safety, partnership with local leaders, and the delivery of essential services in line with national standards.

Commander Francis said the ultimate goal is to restore trust in the police and deliver meaningful outcomes for people in rural border communities who have long felt left behind.

“If we do this right,” Commander Francis said, “the outcome will be simple: safer communities, a safer PNG, and restored trust in our police force.”