More police around: Manning

WITH the resumption of Parliament, Commissioner of Police David Manning has put criminals on notice not to make misguided assumptions to break the law.
Manning’s comments follow a small number of recent robbery attempts in Port Moresby and an increase in proactive police operations.
Manning said police operations had increased over the past week and more criminals were being caught.
“Police presence in NCD, Central and key provincial commands have stepped ahead of Parliament sitting,” Manning said in a statement yesterday.
“There are a number of elements to this enhanced police operational tempo. One of these is to ensure that leaders can attend Parliament without hindrance and the democratic process is facilitated with any potential disruptions being prevented.
“Another intention of this increased police presence is to make sure that criminals do not think they can take advantage of the resumption of Parliament to commit crimes.
“There have been a small number of cases involving attempted break-and-enter and robberies in recent days, where criminals have assumed the attention of police is elsewhere. These criminals could not be more wrong.
“Police presence is higher than normal right now so this is a warning to not try to break the law because you will be caught and arrested to face the law. We have an increased number of police on the ground, the number of investigators has been increased and intelligence units continue to actively track criminal activities.
“This also includes the monitoring of the misuse of social media and communications platforms to identify and interdict those who commit technology-enabled crimes, sow discord or incite acts of violence.
“Our communities deserve to be able to go about their daily business without unscrupulous individuals seeking to spread misinformation, sow discord or take unfair advantage of the public. Your police force is focused on maintaining a safe and secure environment so that our communities can continue to go about their daily lives.”
Manning also urged the people to maintain vigilance and report any suspicious activities.
“Operational plans are in place for the upcoming Parliament session, and the police force is committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our communities to go about their daily lives and our political leaders to go about their business,” Manning said.