Amidst old buildings and limited accommodation, the officers of the South Fly command still strive to provide service to the people of the Western province. Provincial Police Commander (PPC) of South Fly, Chief Inspector Gideon Kauke said that the poor facilities will not hinder them from doing their duties as law enforcers.
However, in an effort change this PPC Kauke said that the plans to develop and upgrade facilities in the area is one of his key focus areas.
His only concern rather, would be that of limited funding to cater for rehabilitation of these facilities. Right now, there are five other police stations scattered across the command but due to the run-down state of each station, it has directly influenced the performance of police officers.
“Funding is the biggest issue. Without proper accommodation for our men and women and proper logistics, it’s hard for us to move around, but we still try our best to make sure to attend to situations.”
He added that for a very long time since they were built, the buildings have been without refurbishment and this is an issue that the command has identified for the enhancement of policing in the province. Logistics is also an issue with only 1 vehicle attached to the command stationed on Daru Island.
“Logistics is also a challenge. We have only one vehicle and it also needs repairs to keep running. We have a number of dinghies as well, but as I mentioned they have gone past their use by date.”
As another maritime area, the command is also prone to sea piracy and without sea transport to make their presence known in the area, this put the command in a very difficult situation. Just last month, with the help of a Mobile Squad from Port Moresby, they were able to apprehend suspect involved in sea piracy activities. PPC Kauke said there is much work needed to be done to ensure that the South Fly command is able to perform to its full capacity. Caption: South Fly Command continues the good work despite challenges