Crime in Papua New Guinea

The major cities of Port Moresby, Mount Hagen and Lae, in particular, have become hotspots for many forms of violent, criminal behaviour including theft, carjacking, breaking and entering, domestic violence, sexual assault, and murder.

[citation needed] Raskol gangs originated from the movement of migrants from rural to urban areas which consequently established poor living standards.

[citation needed] A 2018 study undertaken by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) concluded that approximately 30% of sex trafficking victims in Papua New Guinea were under the age of 18.

[7] Due to the convenient location and relaxed legal structure of PNG, the country acts as an international and domestic source and terminal for human trafficking.

[8] International Law Enforcement Advisor and Specialist Steve Harvey explained that reflective of the rest of the world, human trafficking in PNG is linked to “traditional social and cultural norms and practices”.

[4] Following PNG's ongoing affairs surrounding corruption, the National Anti-Corruption Authority (NACA) was established in April 2004, in an attempt to reduce negative implications.

NACA works alongside nine other public sector organisations, including the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) with the common goal of reducing corruption throughout the country.

Approximately 150 km wide, the Torres Strait connects Australia and Papua New Guinea, acting as an international sea lane and transit point for smuggling drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine.

Papua New Guinea's security services supplied by the police and defence force are unable to monitor the full extent of the country's coastline due to a lack of necessary resources.

Illegal substances intended for sale in Australia are normally transported through waters surrounding PNG hidden in small vessels as to evade border security.

A consequent lack of employment opportunities and affordable housing is largely responsible for driving individuals towards participation within Papua New Guinea's informal economy.

As a partial result of growth within the informal economy, more than half of inhabitants in PNG's capital city of Port Moresby are living in squatter settlements.

[17] The prevention of crime and criminal activity in Papua New Guinea relies heavily on governmental regulatory bodies and the actions of law enforcement officials.

Due to the occurrence of criminal activity within major cities such as Port Moresby, the government has intensified security measures, both privately and publicly, to prevent violent crime.

Precautions taken to do so include house alarms, tracking devices, on-call response teams, 24/7 security guard surveillance as well as real-time incident and threat reporting.

Though local police services are renowned as unresponsive and corrupt, the RPNGC works effectively with Interpol's National Central Bureau (NCB) to fight organised crime.