Specialist group formed to crack down on crime profits

A new interagency task force aimed at confiscating criminals’ ill-gotten gains has been established, Police Commissioner David Manning announced.

The Asset Restraint and Recovery Working [ARROW] Group unites experts from the Bank of PNG’s Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit [FASU], the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary’s National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate [NFACD], and the Office of the Public Prosecutor [OPP].

Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, the group will operate from a secure police facility, allowing close collaboration.

“ARROW will investigate suspicious financial transactions and gather evidence to freeze accounts, seize assets, and initiate restraining orders,” Commissioner Manning said. He said that the Proceeds of Crime Act 2022 provides the legal framework for confiscating criminal proceeds.

“This is the first time these three agencies will work together from the same location, improving coordination and speeding up asset recovery.”

Manning explained that face-to-face teamwork enables faster decisions, helping prosecutors seize assets before criminals can hide them.

“Criminals involved in corruption, drugs, weapons trafficking, and other crimes now face losing their houses, vehicles, and bank funds without warning,” he said.

He added that the modern era of surveillance and communication makes hiding illicit assets much harder.

“Confiscating criminals’ assets has been effective abroad and enjoys strong public support. The ARROW Group is focused on hitting criminals where it hurts, seizing assets, freezing bank accounts, and taking the profit out of crime.”