The Assistant Commissioner of Police Highlands Eastern End Clement Dalla challenged the notion for Vagrancy Act saying it is not the right solution to minimize Papua New Guinea’s growing law and order issues.
ACP Dalla Stated this in an interview with PNG HAUSBUNG where he pointed to systemic government failures as the root cause of rising crime and informal settlements in urban centers.
ACP Dalla strongly argued that poverty and lack of development in rural areas drive migration to cities, creating informal settlements and subsequent law enforcement challenges.
He emphasized that migration into productive or economic centers are driven from lack of essential services from rural area, which by than complicates livelihood further forcing crime to ignite.
“People are not moving to cities because they want to cause trouble, they are moving because their home villages lack basic services—no schools, no hospitals, no jobs. If the government invested in rural areas, we wouldn’t be facing these problems.”
Dalla also highlighted that policing alone cannot solve the crisis.
“There are already enough laws in place to deal with crime,” he said.
“Instead of passing new laws, our leaders should be asking: Where is the money? Where are the services?”
Moreover, he warned that the Vagrancy Act can exacerbate social tensions, as it would disproportionately target the economically disadvantaged while failing to hold accountable those who profit from the current system.
“The real issue is the lack of enforcement due to underfunding, corruption, and poor planning. Even basic things like police logistics and station resources are inadequate.”
“If settlements are a problem, who is allowing these settlements to grow? Landowners, local leaders, and even officials are involved,” he pointed out.
ACP Dalla’s position remains clear, law and order problems cannot be solved by restricting movement but must be tackled by addressing the economic disparities that fuel migration.
In his conclusion, he stated that strengthening rural economies, providing better education and job opportunities can contribute to enforce existing laws effectively.
“If people can live sustainably in their home provinces, they won’t need to migrate.”
“We need to fix the problem at the source, not punish those suffering from it.”