Australian Federal Police to arrive in PNG in November

ABOUT 30 Australian Federal Police officers are arriving in Port Moresby on Monday, November 4, according to an official brief.

They are part of the 50 AFP officers who will be sent to PNG by the end of the year from Australia and will be deployed to help with law and order problems in the country.

Preparations are already underway to receive these policemen according to the “A Team” committee which includes the Police, Foreign Affairs, airport operations officials and other authorities.

Government authorities yesterday advised that the full details of the program and the arrival should be released later this month. 

This is an arrangement former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made at a joint press conference with PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill in Brisbane this year.

This is not the first time AFP officers will be deployed to PNG. 

A similar arrangement was signed in 2005 where 160 AFP officers were deployed to PNG under the Howard government. It was withdrawn because of a constitutional challenge against immunity from prosecution for the officers taken by former Morobe Governor Luther Wenge.

Foreign Affairs and police officials told the Post-Courier yesterday that this second batch of deployment has been welcomed by the government, especially to help the PNG Police force with the escalating law and order issues that is currently being faced in the country.

One PNG / Post Courier