Bougainville rotation gains expert knowledge

The third team of NZ Police deployed to Bougainville earlier this month had the benefit of some sound local knowledge at their pre-deployment training.


Inspector Paul Kamuai from Royal Papua New Guinea Police Constabulary (RPNGPC) and AusAid Advisor Wayne Stringer were invited to brief the outbound officers about the cultural, social, and political aspects of life in Bougainville.

Paul, a Bougainvillian, has 24 years policing experience in RPNGPC and Wayne, an ex- NZ Police Detective Senior Sergeant, has been involved with policing and aid projects in PNG and Bougainville for many years. Together they were able to offer the team a unique insight into the situation in Bougainville.

"Culture and tradition play a prominent role in Bougainvillian life and it is essential that police staff deployed there are prepared for the differences they will encounter," says incoming Bougainville Community Policing Project NZ Team Leader Inspector Bazz Bailey.

"Knowledge of these things can have an influence on the quality of the interactions we have with the local people. Poor interactions can detract from the success of the project.

"There is nothing as good as hearing from experts so we were delighted that Paul and Wayne were able to brief us," says Bazz.

While in New Zealand, Paul took the opportunity to forge links with his counterparts in NZ Police and to view some of the work we are doing, particularly in the community and youth areas.

The Bougainville Community Policing Project, which was born out of the Bougainville Police Agreement, has established community-based policing to improve law and order after many years of civil unrest.

"The link between the community and police is very important in Bougainville," says Paul. "It is the cornerstone of the law and justice sector there, so I was interested to see how things are done in New Zealand," says Paul.

Paul got to see first hand how community policing works in New Zealand through visits to Blenheim (similar size to his home station), Waitangarua, and Kapiti-Mana. He is particularly interested in youth programmes and was pleased to get some practical advice to take back home.

Paul says the NZ police staff have a good reputation in Bougainville. "New Zealanders have established a good rapport with the locals – I think it is because New Zealand is a multicultural society and a Pacific nation and New Zealanders have an understanding of some of the issues we face in Bougainville."

The advisors on the NZ team will be in Bougainville for the next six months except for team leader Bazz who will be deployed for 12 months.