It was a very momentous occasion for the Office of Censorship as they officially launched their website alongside its Internal Information and Communication Technology [ICT] policy and the Fixed Asset Management Program. The main objective of the ICT Policy that was launched today is to establish guidelines to ensure the effective management and implementation of the ICT Infrastructure. Acting Executive Manager, Corporate Services Ms. Joan Nion said the ICT team at the OOC have worked tirelessly to deliver the building of the website and also the ICT policy and its guidelines. “It would have not eventuated without a holistic approach from the team. When we walk out of this door, we would like to be confident that we have three (3) sustainable products that will upgrade our services to the populace,” Ms. Nion said. Deputy Censor, Ms Ilikomau Ali said the OOC only gained its financial Autonomy in 2015, therefore becoming it’s own office and from that time to now it has seen a lot of development. She mentioned that these achievements go hand in hand with what a lot of the Office is working towards. “Importantly, the recently launched National Censorship Policy in 2021 and also the Corporate plan last year,” Ms. Ali stated. Ali said that these developments that the office is embarking on are in line with the policy, the plan and most importantly the overall government’s directions. In alignment with the National Censorship Policy II 2021-2025, focus area 3.8 implementation of the information management System, the OOC has subscribed Kumulsoft Asset Management to manage its assets.

Natoinal Capital District City Manager Ravu Frank is determined now than ever to ensure that the capital city of the country rids itself from violence and petty crimes. In line with the 4 key outcomes handed down by the governor and the board to address. Mr. Ravu said these outcomes cannot be achieved without the support of key stakeholders such as the NCD Police Command and most importantly the city residents. “We wish to stress this point that we will work together with the men and women of the NCD Police Unit to bring about good changes in our city.” He further stated that he has every trust and confidence in the police to help achieve their desire for a safe city and is certain that together everyone will be able to that. He mentioned that their collaborative efforts to bring the change that is much needed has already started. “This month we embarked on an operation to rid the city of illegal vending and illegal activities including petty crimes and we did it in partnership with our Metropolitan Superintendent and his police.” He said they encountered push backs, as was expected but they are not deterred and will continue to work towards these key outcomes. Ravu said he is sure that with the help and the authority of the police force, they go an extra step in achieving what they set out to do. Ravu mentioned that on their part as the municipal authority of the capital city, they will provide adequate support to ensure effectiveness of law enforcement in the city. This also saw the city manager hand over tents, Megaphones and other equipment as a donation to the Police.

The National Capital District (NCD) Metropolitan Superintendent, Acting Superintendent Silva Sika, is adamant to make Port Moresby a safe city to live in and wants his officers along with the public to assist him and his police commanders do so. “The city is ours, I want us to take ownership of the city. I will give all the support with our stakeholders. Everybody, we need you to support us. I have firm belief and confidence that we can reduce crime to the lowest as we want to see.” Sika made an appeal to the people around the Sabama area to not cause any trouble and to try their best to turn away from criminal activities. He then said that hosting the parade there at Sabama was for fostering friendly relationship with the people in the area and hopes that they can work together to fight crime. “We are coming here as friends and asking you to work with us. At the same time we are accountable to you. You judge our performance as well.” The Met. Supt. then urged the public to report any matter of police misconduct to his office directly, if the performance of his officers is not professional. He added that they will also be analyzing these concerns as well to ensure that they are genuine. At this juncture he praised the members of the NCD Command for the good work that they have been doing so far for the past 3 months.

The Fox unit will now be known simply as the Sector Patrol Unit to reflect the work this unit of capital police does in Port Moresby to ensure public safety and continuity of business. City’s Metropolitan Superintendent, Acting Superintendent Silva Sika said that this change is timely and that it was needed in order to ensure professionalism in the Force. “The name Fox Unit to me is a disguise. When I came in as the Met Supt, that name will go back into the rubbish bin. That is why I have removed the name Fox unit and now I have given them a brand new name, Sector Patrol Unit.” He urged the public to no longer use the term fox unit for the Sector patrol as with a new name and a new direction, this will bring that level of professionalism into the police force and he hopes that the men and women serving under him will hold their position to a high regard. Apart from this, Acting Superintendent Sika advised that through financial assistance by their partners from the Australian Federal Police, all members of the Sector Patrol will be undergoing Use of Force Training to better equip them when dealing with the public or offenders. Meanwhile, thanks to the vision of the Metropolitan Superintendent, the National Capital District (NCD) command has seen a gradual change to how they have been handling incidents in the past 3 months.

This morning saw the peace in Moresby South disturbed yet again when fighting broke out around 9am between Taris and Goilalas at Koki in Port Moresby. The confrontation is a continuation of an altercation between both parties from yesterday which started out when a woman from Tari was robbed of her belongings. Thanks to the swift response of Sector Patrol Unit 100 and Badili Police station commander, Senior Inspector Jerry Obert, the fight has now subsided. “This is just a continuation of the fight that occur yesterday. I have just spoken with both parties and they have agreed to sort out the matter this afternoon.” Talks between both factions will commence and the PSC has advised that he aims to sort out the matter before the end of the day. Police were on seen as soon as word had gone out that there was a fight reported. So far no casualties have been reported but police are monitoring the situation should further altercations arise.

The K211, 367, 700 million New Ireland Provincial Government budget for 2023 was finally approved recently, but comes with several conditions. This conditions are the full acquittal of over K400million in Lihir royalties and completion of a provincial plan synchronized with the national governments medium term development plan. According to the Treasurer Mr. Ian Ling Stuckey, the Provincial Budget was once again delayed due to the constant absence of the governor, which can be attributed to his health and also the failure to adhere to IFMS requirements, imposed by both the Departments of Treasury and Finance. "Other provincial governments complied with these technical requirements accept for New Ireland. Sometimes the New Ireland Provincial Government is its own worst enemy." Because of the large amount of money budgeted, the NIPG is now being urged by the Treasurer to pay its creditors on time. A number of businesses have already complained of not being paid since 2022. The Treasurer has advised the governor to refrain from announcing huge projects, whether road or other infrastructure when it has either failed to budget these items, budget for projects outside the allocated budget, then claiming they have no money.

Police Commissioner David Manning has praised the new electronic application process, stating that it has been very effective in overcoming manipulation and nepotism, which has been a blight in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) for years. He said while there were some glitches as this is an entirely new system, they have been corrected and online recruiting will be used again in 2024 and 2025. “The training program has been reviewed and modified so that recruits are put through more rigorous instruction that is effective in the modern policing environment. This involves the use of new technology, community policing methods and improved skills to deal with violent offenders.” He added that the final round of interviews will be the most stringent in the application process, to ensure that the RPNGC can be confident that selected recruits are of high caliber. Manning also mentioned that the constable and cadet officer training facilities at the National Centre of Excellence at Bomana have been enhanced in preparation for the new intakes in the coming years. He added that the constabulary aims to commission Gusap and Poroma Barracks as Regional Training Centres to allow them to increase the number of recruits by 2025. Apart from building appropriate infrastructure, the RPNGC also plan to build the capacity of instructors and management staff at the centres.  

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) have advised that the Police Recruitment for 2023 is nearing its completion with the final 13, 039 shortlisted candidates to go through screening panels for vetting. Police Commissioner David Manning affirmed that all around the country screening will be set up beginning of April through to mid-June, from which the 560 recruits will be selected. Manning said plans are in place to set up two new regional training centres for future intakes, adding that this is due to the recruitment processes being strengthened with the use of digital technology. “The RPNGC has made significant changes, particularly in recruitment, training and professional standards for the new generation of police.” He added that moving recruitment from paper to online application processing was more efficient and transparent after they processed 48, 772 applications. Manning also commended all that applied, saying that it shows how much interest the people have in serving the country. “For those of you who have not proceeded to recruitment screening panels or are not taken in as recruits, the fact that you applied to join the RPNGC is a demonstration of your interest in serving our country. I urge you to not give up but to apply for the next recruitment intake.” He further added that while change and the introduction of new technologies can be difficult for some, it is also necessary for real reform.  

Managing Director of NiuSky Pacific Limited, Captain Ted Pakii has explained the reason as to why many times Air Traffic Controllers have not been able to pick up suspicious aircrafts transporting illicit drugs in and out of the country, was due to pilots turning off their aircraft’s Transponders making them practically invisible to detection. A Transponder is an avionic system located on board the aircraft that provides information about the aircraft identification and barometric altitude to the air traffic controller. Once turned off, this disrupts the information that air traffic controllers receive. This poses a big challenge for air traffic controllers when providing surveillance. “If Pilots are doing illegal business, pilots will deliberately turn their transponders off and that’s what happened here and both in Papa-Lealea and the one in the Bulolo incident.” But, with the Modernization Program that was completed this year, the country's air surveillance systems should be up to par with that of most developed nations. In terms of surveillance, Mr. Pakii said they have got ground based and space based systems, but in order for them to detect aircrafts, the air crafts themselves must be appropriately equipped. However, with both the Papa-Lealea and the recent case in Morobe province, it's been established that those transporting these illegal drugs have avoided detection through employing other tactics.

The informal business operators in money lending, can be able to transition their business to become a Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) through the support of government. This transition to formal MSMEs will expand the economic base of the country, according to a study done by the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Research Institute (NRI). PNG NRI Research Project Officer Joseph Kaile, in the 07th issue of the Spotlight Volume 16, identified challenges faced by informal finance operators and some initiatives that can be used to migrate the operators to MSMEs. Kaile reported that the most important challenges faced by informal finance operators include high risk of default by the borrowers; delay in the repayment of fund by the borrowers; and the refusal of some borrowers to pay an agreed interest rate. Therefore, the transition to something more formal should eliminate all that. Some of the initiatives identified that can be used to migrate informal finance businesses to formal MSMEs include the government to consider facilitating the growth of micro finance institutions to extend financial services to low-income households that are not engaged in formal employment, and government to consider developing effective programs that can assist informal finance operators to transition to formal MSMEs. Other initiatives include, Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) to consider creating more awareness among informal finance operators on the benefits of migrating informal businesses to formal businesses and lastly, educate informal finance operators on the need to have documented guidelines, which must be agreed on by a potential borrower before a transaction takes place.

NCD Police have advised that there that will be no protest staged on the 30th of this month. This is after reports of a protest circulated on social media to be held at the end of the month regarding the potential Global Financial Crisis and Inflation in the country. Sources from inside the NCD police say at the moment, they have not received word from anyone regarding a protest and have no information on the persons behind it. NCD Police further explained that the normal process to stage a protest would be to notify the Metropolitan Command prior to hosting the protest to ensure that police presence will be on ground in advance to make sure that the safety and security is well kept. Earlier on today Political Activist, Noel Anjo also asked the same question, as to who are the organizers of this protest. At this point, no one has stepped forward to take responsibility for organizing said protest. Since it’s circulation, the poster has had many in the city on the edge. Police now state no permission has been sought for this widely circulated protest on social media.

Political Activist Noel Anjo has debunked claims of an alleged Protest notice said to occur at the end of the month and has called on those involved and in circulation of a poster on social media to come out and explain their case amidst much confusion in the Nation's capital. Earlier this month a Poster, calling on the working class [Both Private and Public] to stage a protest, was circulated on social media causing mass confusion as to what may occur at the end of the month. Anjo says he has no connection to the reported protest and is also curious as to who is behind the circulation and dissemination of said protest. “I appeal to those “leaders,” they have to come out and take lead if they are true leaders of this protest.” Anjo has made his stance clear, stating that he is not part of the protest and is now appealing to people on Social Media to take everything with a grain of salt and to not always believe what is being posted online. He told PNG HAUSBUNG the issue that these people have chosen [Inflation] to protest to the government is not an issue that is valid as PNG along with the World all over are currently facing these same issues. “Inflation is a global crisis. This is a result of Covid-19 lock up, the Russo-Ukraine War and others. These are some things that caused this inflation. People don’t really understand what it is. Let us not mislead the public.” Anjo further called for people need to understand what they are talking about before they move on to suggest such actions as a national protest. Meanwhile, attempts from this newsroom to get a response from the NCD Metropolitan Superintendent's office thus far have been unsuccessful.