The AFP has handed over more than $70,000 in essential safety equipment to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC), bolstering the safety of their Water Police officers.
The package includes lifejackets and Safelink personal locator beacons following extensive consultation with RPNGC officers to understand their needs and priorities.
AFP Superintendent Matt Parsons said the AFP and RPNGC shared a deep friendship and ensured the safety of their officers, both on land and at sea.
“RPNGC Water Police members patrol the coastal and oceanic waters of Papua New Guinea in a range of environmental conditions and this new equipment will help ensure they remain safe while undertaking their patrols.”
Supt Parsons added:
“It will also allow their members to continue to perform their duties with the peace of mind that they are wearing innovative safety gear which will help protect them in the event of an emergency.”
The lifejackets were specifically chosen as their design allows them to be worn comfortably with police uniform and operational equipment.
The lifejackets also automatically inflate when submerged in water and exceed the Australian standards required for off-shore commercial operations, ensuring buoyancy will be maintained even when water police crew are wearing heavy clothes and equipment.
The lifejackets are also designed to right a person, turning them onto their back if they are incapacitated so they can breathe.
The Safelink personal locator beacons are waterproof, come with a flotation pouch to ensure buoyancy and will broadcast a continuous international distress signal for a minimum of 24 hours once activated.
The RPNGC has five Police Patrol Vessels (PPV), which are skippered and crewed by members of the Water Police Directorate that patrol the waters of Morobe, Alutao, Rabaul and the National Central District, Gulf and Central Province.
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