Additional information for Chapter 11 - A Battle in Milne Bay

 

The RPNFC is the national police force of PNG responsible for maintaining law and order and the prevention of crime. It is part of the Law and Justice Sector of the government of Papua New Guinea and is headquartered in Konedobu, a suburb of Port Moresby, in the National Capital District. It currently employs approximately 40,000 personnel.

 

The following extracts marked 1. were sourced from the DESTINATION PNG website at www.destinationpng.com/political-legal-structure/royal-png-constabulary/ :

 

“1. PNG’s first police service was established in British Papua in 1884 to protect settlers and to introduce law and order.” This was the Royal Papuan Constabulary.”

“The New Guinea Police Force, which covered the former German and British New Guinea, was also established by Australia during World War I and formalised as part of the League of Nations mandate in 1920.”

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“Both forces were paramilitary in nature, Constables were armed with rifles, and training was generally conducted along military lines by European officers and NCO’s.”

“In 1939 King George the Sixth honoured the Papuan force with the title ‘Royal’ for the outstanding work done during the early years of pacification of the country.”

2.The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary website at https://www.rpngc.gov.pg/about-rpngc/history/states that “During World War II, the RPNGC played a crucial role in resisting the Japanese occupation of New Guinea.” (The Lae War Cemetery holds the names of 13 police officers (panel 8) who died during the war).

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“After the war, the two colonial territories were gradually amalgamated, leading to the merger of the Royal Papuan Constabulary and the New Guinea Police Force. This structure was retained after Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975, and the name was changed from Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary to the present name with the removal of the “and” in 1972.”

Wikipedia states at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Papua_New_Guinea_Constabulary that “The RPNGC is known for the historic use of Police Motu, a lingua franca pidgin variant of the Motu language. During the colonial period, personnel needed to effectively administer the colony were scarce, so the colonial government recruited constables from the various Papua New Guinean peoples and nearby islands such as Fiji and the Solomon Islands. These recruits may have spoken any of about 700–800 different indigenous languages. To aid in communication, a common language was needed and the Police Motu pidgin arose.

 

The language was widely used not just by police but also by colonial administrators.  It was renamed Hiri Motu in the 1970s, due to the connotations of the word "police" and became one of the official languages of Papua New Guinea.”

 

“1. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, armed police accompanied and protected administration patrols into the most remote and wildest parts of PNG.”

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“1. In 1971 the Bomana Police Training College stepped up the training of commissioned officers, NCO’s and recruits. In the run up to Independence massive inputs in police numbers and police capability were made. New police stations, barracks and police houses were built. The Constabulary led the way for other government departments in fulfilling the national goal of ‘localising’ positions filled by expatriate contract officers. By Independence national officers were holding the top command positions of the Constabulary including that of Police Commissioner.”

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“1. In 1995, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary had a manpower strength of 5,000 men and women in the Regular Constabulary Branch, 900 in the Reserve and 1,200 in the Community Auxiliary Police Branch. They served the entire population of PNG – four million people scattered in town and country across the length and breadth of the nation.”

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“1. Since Independence (it has) not been easy for the Constabulary or for the men and women who serve in its ranks. The Clifford report in the mid-80’s was damning in its conclusions. It said that a lack of training, improper supervision and inadequate resources ‘deny police a fighting chance against most crimes’. Further, it said that police in towns had become isolated in their barracks and had lost the confidence of the community. They began to be seen as an alien force which sallied out on punitive raids.”

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“2. In 2000, the RPNGC faced one of its biggest challenges when a secessionist movement in Bougainville sparked a civil war. The Constabulary played a key role in restoring peace to the region, demonstrating its importance in maintaining law and order in Papua New Guinea.

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“1. In recent years, the Constabulary has adopted the concept of ‘community policing’ where a greater emphasis is placed on dialogue and consensus with communities rather than the harsh ways of olden times. It is finding different ways in which it can work in partnership, discussing specific community law and order problems and listening to the community’s ideas and input of how the police and the people can work together to find a solution to local crime problems.”

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“1. In these modern times the police emphasis worldwide is shifting from ‘who-dun-it’ to crime prevention. The Constabulary is abreast of the latest developments in this field and is a regional leader in some aspects of community policing.”

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“2. In addition to its role in maintaining law and order within Papua New Guinea, the RPNGC has also played a role in international peacekeeping efforts. Papua New Guinea has sent police officers to serve in peacekeeping missions in countries such as East Timor and Solomon Islands.

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Overall, the RPNGC has a long and storied history, and remains an important institution in Papua New Guinea. It is responsible for maintaining law and order and protecting the safety of the country’s citizens, and has demonstrated its commitment to this role through numerous challenges over the years.”

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Wikipedia stares that “The Constabulary also faces resource constraints …. and difficulties with internal discipline. Consequently, police are spread fairly thin, with correspondingly slow response times. While the Constabulary has a code of ethics, the Human Rights Watch has noted difficulties such as reports of beatings and rape by officers.”