New police barracks opened in Port Moresby

This accommodation will house the single policemen and women (Image: NCD Police)

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary will now have enhanced accommodation facilities for police personnel in the National Capital District.

This follows the opening of two new Barracks buildings at the Gordons Police barracks on Friday last week.

The male and female single quarters were built by the Australian Federal Police at a cost of K21 million under the PNG-Australia Policing partnership.

The 26-room male quarter will accommodate up to 48 RPNGC officers, whilst the 9-room female barracks will accommodate 18 officers.

When handing over the new buildings to the RPNGC, PNG-APP Commander Jamie Strauss said this is the first part of the AFP’s plan to help build more police houses, which is important to support the growth of the police force.

He added, similar accommodation buildings will be put up in Mt Hagen and Kokopo as well.

"The new barracks in Kokopo and Mt Hagen will also provide short term accommodation for training to be conducted more often in provincial centres, strengthened also by the recruit training by the AFP of the RPNGC Regional Training Officers.

"We're supporting an increased recruitment drive across the country through our Corporate Reform Program. We're doubling the recruitment and cadet capacity of Bomana National Regional Centre of Excellence, which will enable the training of more police, and that's not far off from a significant event, too, which is a major milestone in terms of the vision and intent of the RPNGC moving forward", Strauss said.

"Today's handover of the Gordon Police Barracks is one step: it's a significant step, but it's only one step as part of a much broader story about our policing partnership", Strauss added on Friday at the opening of the accommodation buildings.

Police Commissioner David Manning told policemen and women to look after their new accommodation buildings (Image: NCD Police)

Commissioner of Police David Manning thanked the AFP for its continued support in building critical infrastructure in the RPNGC, making a real difference across the country.

The buildings are fully equipped with kitchen and dining areas, external laundry facilities, storage spaces, water tanks, and an outdoor relaxation area for comfort and utility.