RURAL SIMBAI POLICE STATION ABANDONED FOR OVER 14 YEARS
Picture Caption: The abandoned rural Police post at the Simbai station in Middle Ramu district Madang Province.
BY Vicky BAUNKE
THE Rural police station in Simbai has been abandoned for over 14 years and is in a rundown and deteriorating state causing, peace officers to walk days with detainees, serious crime offenders to the nearest police station:
According to village court officials in the law and justice sector, this is due to nil assistance given to boost law and order services and little to no police presence in this remote LLG in the country for the past 15 years.
With the last police presence since 2014 and an abandoned police rural lock up building, the rural Simbai LLG village court officers who travel by foot to address law and order services and uphold law and order services in Simbai are being faced with a major challenge to deliver law and justice services.
The Simbai LLG is only accessible by air and consists of 19 ward councils with a total population of almost 19, 000 people and one among 3 other LLGs that make up the Middle Ramu district in Madang Province.
Simbai Village Court Peace Officer Clanston Yinemb in an interview, told this newsroom, that suspects of serious offences were sometimes being kept at his home after the rural police post consisting cell being abandoned since 2014.
He said Village court magistrates and officials take the role of police to tackle serious criminal offences at the village level.
Mr Yinemb said suspects of serious crimes are being escorted from Simbai to Iome by foot which takes almost a day of walking.
He told this newsroom that suspects are being taken to the nearest police station at Ramu or to Madang by crossing over the Ramu river by boats.
He said on one occasion a complainant had to pay for the airfares for a criminal suspect of murder and village court officer to be flown out of Simbai to Madang which is very costly at a total of almost K3000.
“Police presence is needed in Simbai as it has become a very risky and life-threatening job for village court officers after many officers have been attacked and 1 died after he was beaten up.
Currently there are 7 village court officers dealing with law-and-order issues in the remote Simbai LLG who aging officers are and not physically capable to control law and order and maintain peace.”
He said there is a permanent police accommodation at Simbai station which he currently takes care of while waiting for a police officer to move into, once posted.
The 3 Simbai Village Court officers including Village Court Magistrate Emmanuel Kanu, Village court Interpreter Markingston Nugunt and Peace Officer Mr Yinemb is appealing to the government for the maintenance of the run-down police post that will accommodate for rural lock up and to carry out policing services in Simbai.
However, Simbai is among other rural police stations in the country where the delivery of policing services is a challenge by the Royal Constabulary due to financial constraints as highlighted clearly in the RPNGC Fiscal report of 2022.
Insufficient funding and resources, infrastructure development, manpower, housing are among many of the issues affecting the Constabulary to effectively deliver policing services which needs support from local MPs in a recent statement by Police Commissioner David Maning in response to challenges faced by rural police commands.
