19 February 2014

Australia's Minister for Justice visits Australian Federal Police in Port Moresby and Lae

Minister for Justice Michael Keenan today met Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers in Papua New Guinea’s second largest city of Lae, visited at-risk youth being given a chance to escape poverty and crime, and witnessed the destruction of guns surrendered in a community amnesty initiative.

Mr Keenan’s Lae visit was part of his three-day PNG tour to advance Australia’s support for PNG’s law and justice priorities including transnational crime and policing.

Yesterday Mr Keenan toured Port Moresby’s largest police station, Boroko, held talks with PNG Minister for Police Nixon Duban and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) Commissioner Tom Kulunga at Police Headquarters in Konedobu, and later met with PNG Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Kerenga Kua.

“The AFP’s focus on frontline advisory support with RPNGC colleagues in Port Moresby and Lae is strengthening the RPNGC’s ability to deliver visible frontline police services for the people of PNG,” Mr Keenan said.

Thirteen AFP officers are stationed in Lae to support RPNGC operations, and are part of an additional deployment of 50 AFP officers through the PNG-Australia Policing Partnership.

“The warm and helpful welcome AFP officers have received in PNG indicates the real desire to make this a successful part of the Policing Partnership,” Mr Keenan said.

Also today Mr Keenan visited the Lae Metropolitan Police Station and reinforced Australia’s commitment to helping the RPNGC build capacity to respond to the prevalence of crimes such as carjacking, serious assaults and arson.

“Significantly enhanced police facilities will be built in Lae through the Policing Partnership, and we are also assessing how we can help to increase the capacity of the station through additional building works,” Mr Keenan said.

Australia’s assistance for essential services has included supporting the RPNGC to establish a Family and Sexual Violence Unit at the Lae Metropolitan Police Station. Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop announced Australia will fund a new PNG Family and Sexual Violence Case Management Centre in Lae, to help ensure women and children receive services they need including legal support.

Mr Keenan viewed the destruction of guns surrendered in Bumayong Village in an initiative led by community elders to reduce the incidence of violence and gun related crime and the use of home-brew kits and drugs.

“The destruction of these guns today is a step forward in the creation of a safer community for the people of Lae,” Mr Keenan said.

At the Lae City Mission Suambu Plantation, Mr Keenan talked to youth from urban settlement areas who have been given an opportunity to escape poverty and crime.

The Suambu Plantation provides housing, meals, literacy training and vocational skills training such as carpentry, bricklaying and tiling for unemployed and homeless youth. It also helps trainees find job placements with private sector partners, and provides support such as housing to help graduates transition to new lives.

The Australian Government’s K1 million in support for the City Mission PNG helped 180 young men in Lae and Port Moresby to graduate from City Mission’s rehabilitation and vocational training programs in 2013. Australia is helping to build two vocational training classrooms at the Suambu Plantation.

Mr Keenan also paid respect to Australian soldiers by laying a wreath at the Lae War Cemetery, the second-largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Papua New Guinea. The cemetery contains 2818 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 444 of them unidentified