PAPUA New Guinea has appointed former Australian Federal Police officer Chief Superintendent Amanda Kates as the new police commander for East New Britain Province in a move aimed at strengthening policing leadership in the province.
Chief Supt Kates was officially sworn in at police headquarters by Police Commissioner David Manning, who described her appointment as an important step towards improving command capacity and supporting frontline policing operations within the Royal PNG Constabulary.

A Papua New Guinea man has been arrested and charged by police over alleged threatening messages posted on social media targeting Ok Tedi Mining Limited operations in Western Province.

North Fly Acting Provincial Police Commander Inspector Anjap Minata confirmed that the 34-year-old suspect was charged under Section 23(4) of the Cyber Crime Act 2016 following a complaint lodged by Ok Tedi Mining Ltd.

Papua New Guinea’s top public servant has been directed to review the process that led to the referral of Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika to the National Executive Council following action taken by the Ombudsman Commission.

Prime Minister James Marape confirmed that Cabinet has not yet convened to discuss the matter, saying the Government is taking a measured approach because of the constitutional and institutional implications involved.

“It’s a matter we’re handling very diligently. We don’t want to rush,” Mr Marape said.

Papua New Guinea is facing a worsening oral cancer crisis, with doctors warning that more people are dying from the disease as hospitals continue to receive new cases almost every day.

At the centre of the growing concern is the Highlands Region, where health authorities say the majority of oral cancer patients are coming from. Dental Specialist Dr. Thomas Tatua from the Mt Hagen Specialist Hospital says PNG now records the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world.

The National Court has refused an application by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Lands and Physical Planning John Rosso, seeking leave for judicial review against the Ombudsman Commission to halt an ongoing investigation against him.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Paulus Dowa this morning confirms that constitutional investigative processes under the Leadership Code cannot be prematurely halted by the courts.
​The matter arose after the Ombudsman Commission issued a notice to Mr. Rosso, alerting him of allegations that he failed to declare income in his Annual Statements during 2016.

Australia has delivered two Bell 412 helicopters to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary in a major boost to policing and emergency response operations across the country.

The helicopters arrived in Lae yesterday under the Papua New Guinea-Australia Policing Partnership and are expected to strengthen crime prevention, search and rescue missions, and rapid deployment operations in remote regions.