Two Decades On, New Zealand Police Continue As Advisors In Bougainville

Don
Wiseman, RNZ Pacific Senior
Journalist

New
Zealand Police have been providing assistance to the
Bougainville community policing initiative for 20
years.

This work has seen a small team – changed every
year or so – liaising with community constables and advising
them when appropriate.

These days the team is
integrated into the Bougainville Police Service but the New
Zealand officers continue to play a role as team leader
Wayne Maurirere told RNZ Pacific.

(The transcript
has been edited for brevity and
clarity.)

Wayne Maurirere: New
Zealand police handed over full control. I think it was done
by end of 2021 [and] part of 2022.

Don
Wiseman: The police partnership team is remaining there.
What is the nature of the work now? Is it any
different?

WM: It is very
similar to what it has been. We certainly have a strong
focus on supporting the community police strategy, of which
the auxiliary police an integral part of together with the
Bougainville Police Service.

DW: The people
you have worked with, do they operate in a different way
within the Bougainville police force? Or do they operate as
a typical Papua New Guinea police
person.

WM: Oh, no. They
certainly offer a bit different to mainland Papua New Guinea
police. Definitely, a community focus in Bougainville. Going
back to the Peace Agreement, it was the desire of the
Bougainvilleans to have a police service, as opposed to a
police force, because they wanted to maintain focus on
community relationships, and that is still the case
today.

DW: I have been talking with a
researcher, Dennis Kuiai. I imagine you know
Dennis?

WM: I have met him
once.

DW: Well, he has mentioned to me about
how important the community policing team is to Bougainville
because Bougainville has this issue – and lots of parts of
Papua New Guinea do – where the crimes committed, they are a
symptom of far deeper issues within Bougainvillean society,
much of it going back to trauma from the Civil War. Do you
see that?

WM: It is
certainly discussed amongst the wider community that they
are still dealing with the impacts of the conflicts, and
that is why they are so heavily focused on healing the
community and Community Auxiliary Police being part of that
healing process.

DW: With the people that you
are working with. Do you actively recruit them
yourselves?

WM: No,
certainly not currently, and this has been the case since
the inception of the Auxiliary Police.

They are from
the community, selected by leaders within the community, and
their names are put forward to the Bougainville Police
Service as a preferred candidate to represent that
particular community.

DW: What is the nature
of the involvement right now? As you say, it has not
changed. But what do you do? How do you work alongside
Bougainville police?

WM: We
are here to advise them in a capability capacity. So if they
have issues, currently one of the issues is abuse of alcohol
and drugs. If they start to put together a response to that,
they seek our advice and guidance, and we are happy to
provide just from our experience in New Zealand.

This
has worked in New Zealand. It may or may not work here, but
it is something you may want to look at. And they design the
response and they implement it. And if it works, it works.
If it does not, then back to the drawing table, see how they
can tweak that response, and then go back up to try and deal
with the issues.

DW: When you look at an issue
that police from New Zealand would not have any experience
with, like the sorcery accusations that seem to have become
rife right across Papua New Guinea, and I understand that
they have suddenly got quite bad in Bougainville. What
advice are you able to give
there?

WM: That is an
interesting question because [sorcery] is a firmly held
belief. It is not for us to convince them to do away with
sorcery. Good heavens no, the violence associated with
sorcery that is a new phenomena, and that is recently
emerged.

Where we are helpful in that space is
providing advice and guidance around how to deal with
violence, which has become a part of that sorcery
belief.

DW: How much longer do you think the
New Zealand team will be based in
Bougainville?

WM: I do not
know this. There is certainly a will amongst local
Bougainvillean people to have New Zealand police here for as
long as possible. And that decision rests with people way
above my pay grade at the mfad level in New Zealand police
executive level.

DW: How many people have you
got there?

WM: Myself and
five advisors. I am in Buka with one other. I have two
advisors in Arawa, the central part of Bougainville and two
advisors in Buin, the southern
part.

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