PORT MORESBY (ICRC) – It is essential that officers in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary learn to understand and apply international policing standards and human rights law, Police Commissioner Gari Baki said today.
The Commissioner's comments came as 15 senior police officers from stations in Port Moresby and Central Province attended a three-day workshop at Bomana Police Training Centre run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Commissioner Baki said such workshops are very important as they reinforce the need for members of the RPNGC to adhere to international policing standards and respect and understand human rights.
The workshop is one of a series held in PNG by the Geneva-based humanitarian organisation which are aimed at providing a forum for police officers to discuss issues and learn how to apply international standards in their police work.
Attended by police station commanders and other high-ranking officers from Port Moresby and Central Province, the workshops covered such topics as international human rights law, arrest and detention, the use of force and firearms and maintenance of public order.
"We're very pleased with the commitment to professionalism the RPNGC has shown in sending these officers to the workshop," said ICRC Head of Mission for PNG, Mark Kessler. "The ICRC has expertise in international law and policing and we're pleased to share that with the RPNGC."
The course facilitator, Anand Appadoo, a former police officer now based in Manila with the ICRC, said the workshop wasn't just about passing on knowledge. "It's a confidential forum in which police can discuss real-life case studies, talk about how the police acted in each instance and discuss ways they could have performed better."
The ICRC runs similar workshops for police forces around the world. In April, the organisation held a similar event in Mount Hagen for officers from across the Highlands region.
For further information, please contact:
Dan Waites, ICRC Port Moresby, tel. +675 708 80 624
