Today, the National Capital District (NCD) wardens started their engagement with the police at Boroko and Gordons following their introduction on Monday by the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) in partnership with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. This morning, they were up as early as 5am to start their first day at work. At Gordons, the Police Station Commander (PSC), Senior Inspector Gabriel Kini was there to receive them and place them at locations that he thinks they should base to do their job. The public is encouraged to work with them to help make our city clean and safe. “Nothing will change overnight, so we the police, the wardens are all humans, and we will need 100 per cent support from the public,” said the PSC. The introduction of the City Warden Initiative is in response to the rising crime rates and serious safety concerns in Port Moresby city. NCD Governor, Powes Parkop at the launching said this initiative aims at enhancing public safety to critical transit points throughout the city. The Initiative imposes measures to known hotspots in partnership with police, government agencies and local communities. This is because police manpower is underwhelmed with less than 900+ police personnel in NCD managing over a million people. ” Safety and security are our priorities, and with collective efforts from everyone, we can make this city a better place, a place that is safe and conducive for everyone to move freely at any time of the day as they wish,” said the governor. Through this partnership, trained youth will be deployed to take over public space, especially bus stops and identified hotspots in the city. The first phase of this initiative will involve the deployment of 150 trained youths at the Boroko and Gordons precincts. These youth have undergone two weeks of induction and three days of specialized skills training conducted by professional instructors, including former and current servicemen from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. The training covered basic life skills, health and hygiene, code of ethics, appropriate dressing and behaviour, crisis management, self-respect, and adherence to a chain of command. Through this training, Defence instructors have equipped them with the skills to perform their duties efficiently and confidently, knowing what to do and what not to do as wardens. This will help eliminate crime in the city. The standard operating procedures for the NCD wardens include: ● Making their presence known in public spaces, ●Monitoring public movement, ●Discouraging illegal vending, ●Providing security for women, girls, and other vulnerable individuals, and ●Addressing unethical behavior in public spaces. These wardens will serve as the eyes and ears of frontline police officers, working closely with them to maintain peace, safety, and security in public areas.