Running constabulary as a business

BY MK VAMANAN NAIR

I understand that the recent article about running the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary as a “business” has generated many adverse and some positive comments.
 To the adverse comments generated I wish to humbly provide a clarification as my comments may be misunderstood.
 I must state clearly that I have never intended to or have charged the RPNGC any fees whatsoever at any time in my contribution to the constabulary. I am not in any way engaged or contracted by the RPNGC.
 Let me be clear that my assistance and input has solely been as a result of my love for police work and for the betterment of the RPNGC which I believe will benefit the people of this great nation.
 I also do not intend to provide any invoice in future or to charge a fee for my voluntary contribution to the constabulary. I
 have always considered all RPNGC officers as brother officers and RPNGC as a police family. Firstly, a policeman is always a policeman. At a very young age I was trained and grew with a premier law enforcement agency, the Singapore Police Force. It’s a zero tolerance organisation where everything is well structured and disciplined. Every officer is responsible and accountable for their actions. It’s about obtaining respect, confidence and trust in the Police Force with exemplary conduct and effective service delivery to the people and getting things done the first time right. There is also strict adherence to the practice and procedures to serve the people better, without fear or favour whilst being friendly but firm with their service delivery. Every citizen has paid for the professional services provided by the Police Force in various taxes and they are not required to pay any additional fee or charges for service they receive. It’s the duty of the Police Force to meet the expectations of the Government and serve the people who have every right to demand the service. This has made multicultural Singapore a safe place for its citizens, the international business community, tourists and every other person who intends to be in Singapore for one reason or the other. It is about a successful model for excellence in law enforcement service delivery. Running the police service as business is NOT about charging extra fees for service. I have not in anyway suggested that. It’s a public office and not a profit making entity. The profit in this instance is the best outcome the people of PNG receives from the Constabulary. This model is about making the entire constabulary accountable and responsible for their actions and to ensure the policing needs of the people are met. It’s about creating a model where all officers adhere to the law, policies, practices and orders to service the people better. It’s about managing their processes better so that their annual budgets can be better accounted and managed to be directed to essential services without careless expenditure. Mismanaged and misdirected funds can be channelled to more needful areas to improve service delivery more effectively. It’s about cost savings through proper people, process and cash flow management and making every officer responsible for their actions. Every cost saving, in the management of the resources in the constabulary means there are funds to better cater to the requirements of another area of police work. In essence, the whole Constabulary is judged by the conduct and behaviour of one individual officer. The Business Model will ensure that, just like any other business, the performance of the officers will be measured, monitored and the end results or outcomes are met. If expectations are not met, then officers can be managed and replaced for the benefit of the Constabulary. It’s about beginning with the end in mind so that we understand what the people want and to deliver effectively, within the law and with great efficiency as a service to the end user, the people. For instance, the 8th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Honourable James Marape, has started from day one with the end in mind. He wants to make PNG a rich black Christian country. That is the end result, now we all have to work together to achieve that. All government businesses have to take ownership to deliver this dream. Efficiency starts with every individual understanding the work flow, people flow and cash flow of their individual work, departmental commitments and the goal of the entire constabulary. For example, if an officer is issued with a police vehicle, he or she will understand how to strictly handle it, maintain it, ensure it’s serviced on time, it’s kept working efficiently for the next user so that in case of an emergency the vehicle is ready to serve the people and to attend to their needs. If the vehicle is badly handled, not serviced and properly maintained, if it meets with an accident or has mechanical faults, then it cannot be used in an emergency to serve the people. It will also incur additional cost that has not been catered for in the budget. This means the money spent on this vehicle cannot be gainfully used to provide for another urgent requirement of the constabulary, therefore affecting service excellence. The model will in-still responsibility and accountability to manage resources better. Therefore once the individual officer understands what his/her contribution is in this efficiency model, that will eventually affect the whole organisation’s performance. This initiative will be a living value to provide a working requirement that officers take ownership of, whilst understanding the risks and rewards in their career with the Constabulary. In conclusion, the idea was to in-still discipline and to bring about a paradigm shift in the way the constabulary operates and how it deliver service to its people.