The Buka Police Station celebrated the official opening of a newly constructed containerised Information Communications Technology (ICT) office on Thursday, 7th November. An initiative supported by the Australian Government with an investment of approximately K379,000.
The new ICT office was officially opened by Counsellor for Law and Justice from the Australian High Commission, Tessa Plueckhahn together with the ARoB Police Minister Hon. John Bosco Ragu. Police personnel from the Northern, Southern and Central divisions plus local community leaders and community members were also present to witness the opening of the office.
The new facility is designed to create a more conducive workspace for ICT operations and house critical IT equipment, boosting police services across Buka and the wider ARoB. It is expected to enhance police work, enabling better data management, improve efficient communication, and streamlined coordination between police units within Bougainville and the region.
The ABG Minister for Police Hon. John Bosco Ragu, at the opening, emphasised the significance of this development, stating:
“This new office is an achievement for the Bougainville Police Service and is a result of good partnership between Australia and Bougainville. It will serve as an important resource in supporting our work in effective police service delivery.”
The advancement of ICT within the police force holds particular importance for Bougainville, where many communities are in rem ote areas, including on distant islands and atolls. By providing a reliable, centralised ICT hub, it will help police officers in future to improve communication and deliver justice services to these remote regions, addressing safety concerns promptly and extending police presence and support to areas previously difficult to reach.
Counsellor for Law and Justice from the Australian High Commission, Tessa Plueckhahn at the opening acknowledged the ABG, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government and Buka Police Service for working together for the successful completion of the new office.
“This new office is a result of the partnership and friendship between Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and Australia Governments working together to strengthen and improve law and justice services in Bougainville and in the region.
“This office will provide the necessary infrastructure to support proper storage of data and information and also provide timely dissemination of information for police to respond effectively, solve cases more efficiently, and build stronger relationships with the communities they serve,” Counsellor Plueckhahn said.
Apart from this new ICT containerised office building, the Australia Government also supported the construction of a new justice centre in Bougainville that now accommodates different law and justice agencies in ARoB.
These new infrastructure projects are part of broader efforts by the Australian Government through the PNG-Australia Partnership to improve justice service delivery for safer communities in PNG and the ARoB.
Australian High Commission Counsellor Tessa Plueckhahn handing dummy key to ABG Minister for Police Hon. John Bosco Ragu.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100