The East New Britain (ENB) Provincial Assembly has recently endorsed a program that will start this year to recruit, train, and appoint grade twelve school leavers as Peace Officers and Police Reservists in the province. The Provincial Administration will collaborate with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) and the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) to appoint a total of 168 personnel as Peace Officers and police reservists in an effort to ensure general law and order is maintained in their localities. Speaking during the second Provincial Assembly held last week, East New Britain Provincial Member, Michael Marum, said that once recruitment and training have been completed, each of the 23 Local Level Governments (LLGs) will each receive eight officers each. He stated that the critical shortages of police personnel in the province and across the country is also leading to a lack of effective and efficient policing in communities. The planned recruitment of peace officers aligns with the 2020 National Village Courts Policy and Strategy, as well as National Executive Council (NEC) Policy Decision No.320/2020 on Crime Prevention Strategy. Peace Officers are required under the Village Courts Act to apprehend criminals who have committed or are committing minor offences in their villages. Their responsibilities also include bringing criminals to the local court or police station and filing applicable charges, following additional investigation. Meanwhile, the provincial assembly also approved an estimated funding of K1.2 million to be allocated in the 2025 provincial budget for the training and monthly allowances for the Peace Officer/Police Reservist training. “Our province continues to witness a steady rise in law and order issues and therefore, presented here are strategies to address the escalating law and order issues. The way forward focuses on strengthening the LLGs and Wards to take control of their own localities,” said Marum. On the other hand, Rabaul MP, Dr. Allan Marat, said that the conduct of some police officers has degraded overtime and has further suggested that those recruited must be well trained. “If we want to push this idea, let's carefully examine those applicants so that they don't end up as some of our officers now.”