![]() THE police “counter-terrorism” hardline approach to fighting crime announced this week will fall flat on its face because it is not people-friendly, says former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. O’Neill told his Facebook audience on Wednesday that the hurdle in the fight against crime was not just the shortage of manpower and resources but more about the “culture of policing” in Papua New Guinea. O’Neill said: “Police have lost the trust and respect of the people. That is the real problem we face. “A thousand policemen can be recruited but it will not reduce the alarming increase in crime rates in the country if there is lack of respect and communication between police and the people, and between leaders and society,” he said. O’Neill was responding to Police Commissioner David Manning who said: “The RPNGC (Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary) is moving from what had been an overarching emphasis on crime prevention over recent decades, to focus on responding to criminal activity and countering aggression head-on.” O’Neill asked: “How many times and how many police commissioners have issued shoot-to-kill orders?
“It has not worked in the past and it will not work now because the culture of policing is not there. “You cannot enforce the rule of law by intimidation. “When you threaten to shoot to kill, that is intimidation. You will not get cooperation from the people. “The people do not trust and respect the police because of the kind of treatment police have given them over the years. “This kind of orders will further distance them. “And when you elevate criminals to the status of domestic terrorists, they will respond as terrorists do. “There will be collateral damage.” O’Neill said it was a poorly advised and knee-jerk reaction to what is turning out to be one of the biggest issues facing the country. Manning said in a statement that police had tried a “soft-glove” approach to crime at the frontline but did not work. So now the “gloves are off” and they are focused on neutralising crime at the roots. “If a criminal uses a weapon to threaten a village or urban community, that is domestic terrorism, and there is no leniency from police,” he said. O’Neill said: “We need the people on side. We need their cooperation, their trust and their respect. “This is a leadership issue. “We need to earn their mandate by engaging with them. “We cannot hide and push the police to go out and terrorise the people in the name of the law. “The criminals have to be isolated and their movements monitored and reported on. “You need community support for that.” Statement/TheNational/PNGfacts Also read Comments are closed.
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