The Minister for Internal Security, Peter Tsiamalili Junior, has hit back against the outburst by Vanimo Green MP, Belden Namah in relation to the reassurance by the Commissioner of Police to Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) members on their right to escalate the use of force against violent criminals. He stated that the government has given its full backing toward the Police Commissioner, David Manning in his effort to clamp down on crime, domestic terrorism and the legitimate escalated use of force that can and has resulted in criminals being shot dead. He said the Member for Vanimo Green is a former member of the disciplined forces, and his attitude and approach to crime is surprising. “More than anyone, he should appreciate the importance of having established protocols for the escalation of the use of force to prevent criminals from killing another person,” he said. Tsiamlili stated that put simply, the protocols that have been reassured by Commissioner Manning, meaning that if a criminal threatens a person with a gun or other dangerous weapon, police will potentially shoot them in order to save an innocent life. “The Commissioner is well within his powers to restate orders for the rank and file to defend our people from domestic terrorists and other violent criminals. “Belden Namah, and recently Peter O’Neill, have both declared their soft on crime approach, and our people will not hear of it because they want an end to the decline in law and order of the past two decades.” He added that Namah and O’Neill are simply trying to make political points out of this serious issue, and it is backfiring on them terribly. “The people of our nation want police to stand strong against violent criminals, and the people of this nation have no issue with appropriate force being used to stop a criminal.” The Minister said that the claims made by Mr. Namah in relation to community policing are also incorrect, as this remains a priority for the RPNGC while ‘sharp end’ regular police resources are re-prioritized to deal with crimes being committed.