Senior officer raises alarm over police mental health crisis

A senior police officer with over 30 years of service in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary has sounded the alarm on the urgent need for mental health support for officers exposed to the country’s most brutal crimes.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the long-lasting psychological impact of policing in areas plagued by tribal violence, sorcery-related attacks, arson, and other traumatic incidents. He said the absence of formal counselling support is leading to emotional breakdowns and dangerous behaviour among some officers.

“When police officers return from an operation, there should be proper counselling to bring their minds back before they can be released back to their families,” he said.

“Just imagine witnessing a child and mother being burnt alive inside a house and then having to retrieve their bodies. The smell may go, but the trauma stays in our minds.”

He expressed concern that, unlike the PNG Defence Force and Correctional Services, the RPNGC lacks structured psychological support such as chaplaincy or debriefing services after field operations. As a result, he said, many officers deal with their trauma in silence or unhealthy ways and some eventually becoming aggressive or rogue.

He pointed to two recent high-profile incidents as examples of possible mental breakdowns in the force; a police officer in Madang reportedly threatening to kill a doctor in public, and another who allegedly fired into a crowd, killing Sandy Purel at Waigani Market.

“These incidents are not just about bad behavior, they're signs of untreated trauma,” the officer said. “It goes back to the lack of mental health care and support from the police hierarchy.”

He added that overwork is another major factor. Due to chronic manpower shortages and rising crime rates, officers are regularly working without proper rest.

“No one’s doing an 8-hour shift anymore,” he said. “We’re chasing criminals for days without proper rest. That kind of pressure breaks you mentally.”

He also spoke of the toll the job takes on family life, describing how officers under stress often carry their trauma into their homes, leading to social issues in police barracks.

Recalling a particularly distressing experience during an operation, he said he once had to identify body parts of a beheaded and dismembered man.

“I stopped eating ice cream after that,” he said. “I saw the man’s brain leaking from his head, and that image never left me.”

The officer revealed that he now pays for his own counselling to cope with years of accumulated trauma and has even discouraged his son from joining the force, breaking what is often a family tradition among officers.

“The RPNGC was well managed when I joined, but it has deteriorated, especially when it comes to officer welfare,” he said.

He is now calling on the police leadership to prioritise mental health by introducing counselling services, ensuring adequate rest for officers, improving housing conditions, and encouraging station commanders to regularly check in on their teams.

NBC News has reached out to Police Commissioner David Manning for comment and is awaiting a response regarding the current welfare and mental health support provided to officers in the RPNGC.