The old tin shed finally replaced after 31 years (feature)

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, October 20, 2013 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

I remember vividly my first visit to the “old tin shed” in Port Moresby. It was earlier this year, a clear Saturday morning when I was unfortunate enough to be at the receiving end of someone’s irresponsible driving. If you were in a similar situation- you’d understand the stress involved in establishing who is at fault.

Papua New Guinea drivers tend to take the law in their hands in such situations, and the only people we rely on to prevent the all-out fist fights that commonly accompany traffic accidents are the men in blue- specifically the Traffic  Police Division. They determine on the scene, who was at fault and remand them pending the determination by the courts. It was this dedicated group of officers that gave us a VIP escort to the traffic station.

The old tin shed was the reference used throughout the ceremony to describe the old building that had stood for 31 years after serving the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary’s Traffic Division, which was finally replaced by a new smaller, but well organised temporary station, built by the police department through contracting firm AD Engineering last Friday- after being condemned by NCDC Health inspector on more than one occasion.   

My initial visit to the shed was confronting on two fronts. On one was the trauma of the accident itself and being taken for the first time to a police establishment, and the other was the condition of the building itself. I remember asking myself how anyone could work in such conditions.

As you walk in you are confronted at the front desk with two huge punched in holes most definitely cause by some disgruntled driver. Behind the front desk, one can clearly see parts of the ceiling hanging down like paper decorations revealing the bare ceiling and corrugated sheets that make up both the roof and the walls. The colour of the walls struggled to show through among the dirt and grime built up over the years.

When we concluded our visit and statements, the Officer in Charge who struggled to balance in the old seat he was on, got our details and called us to be patient, even apologised for the conditions we had to endure while being questioned about the incident.     

That day the officer gained a lot of respect from me, because though he was somewhat embarrassed yet knew he had a job to do. A reflection of what many of our policemen and women have to go through on a daily basis to keep law and order in the nation’s capital despite what many would say.

The Port Moresby Traffic division first moved from what is now the Hohola Police Station into the tin shed in 1982, taking over from the Commonwealth Department of Works, who once occupied the building.

Successive officers have passed through the division; reaching high ranking positions within the constabulary- even to the position of commissioner, yet the building has remained the same ever since. Officers that worked within the division include Bob Meta, Sam Inguba, Jim Wan, and Andy Bawa. All including other officers that have moved up the ranks of the constabulary have served time within the division.

The traffic officers were challenged to maintain the legacy of high standards the division has produced. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and Commander of NCD and Central Jim Andrews acknowledged the hardships they and he faced working in the shed.

“It is very good to see that the traffic office is very clean even though it has been run down for more than 31 years, and this is the sign that some sort of improvement is taking place.”

“The situation within the building was very very bad, since the rank and file that we went through this hardship.”

“But thorough that hardship we’ve done a lot to carry out our fundamental and core function duties of policing traffic in the city.”

“This building today that we are opening now is small but it will uplift your working condition here in Four Mile Traffic here, and it will help you to enforce your legal duties stipulated under the constitution of this country,” he said.

He added that though the building was small they would be able to do more than what they were doing in the old building. ACP Andrews made mentioned of the lowest moment in the division’s history, when they had to operate under the mango trees in front of the condemned office at one point. Officers recalled them spending more than three months serving members of the public.

It was an emotional moment especially for the officers that have spent many years in the division, who stood proudly in parade with the new building before them. No one was more proud nor happier than the Acting Officer In Charge for NCD Traffic Philip Koliadi who was full of praise for his Commissioner of Police Tom Kulunga, who allocated K500,000 to have the building built. I asked him what the building meant to the division.

“I think the new building here- whether it is temporary or permanent, it is a relief to us, because the old building was a shed.”

“When our building was condemned by NCDC health inspectors around Christmas of 2012- we were sent down to Boroko Police station but unfortunately it was too small for us to operate from.”

“We had to look for a company to do a draft design for a new building, and I am so pleased with my commissioner, who has been so generous and helpful by approving our proposal that was put our NCD and Central Commander, Assistant Commissioner Jim Andrews,” he said.

He indicated that the staff ceiling at the station was very low, but at the same time staff morale was very high after the building of the new facility.

Kodiadi said that the old building will be demolished later on, and the other areas within the property will be developed to put up a two storey building, which he said would increase their performance in carrying out their duties.

When the ribbon was cut by the invited guests- entrance into the building obviously was a breath of fresh air. Furnished from the top to bottom, the building had new chairs, air-conditioning, brightly lit and off course gave the division the professional look it so desperately needed.

One who has seen it all within the unit is Sargent Simon Kesefai who has been working in the shed since 1989 (23 years), after being transferred from Alotau. I also asked him what he felt being witness to the opening of the building.

“I am very happy about this building, because since I transferred from Alotau to here as a traffic policeman, I’ve been working in this tin shed from then till now 2013.

“It is a big improvement, but more needs to be done as more people come from other countries and with the many developments taking place.

“The government must look at the type of conditions we work in, because for us it is embarrassing for us to serve foreigners who require our services in the horrible condition of our office,” he pleaded.

He compared it to a copra sheds or a storage warehouse, which made him feel uneasy- with some even wondering whether it was a police station or a warehouse.

“But what can we do, no matter what we had nowhere else but to serve them there ever since the colonial era.”

“The commissioner has allocated funds, and I am very happy with him for enabling us to have the building constructed.”

“Our division deal with all sorts of people even international expatriates who are involved in vehicle accidents,” he said.

They wondered when they would get a new building, to the extent where they operated under the mango trees in front of the tin shed.

All the officers were happy to witness the opening of the new temporary building- especially Sgt Kesefai who said that when he retires, he will do so happy to see such developments so that the young officers coming through can operate in the new building happy and do their job properly.

Despite the shortage in space in the new building- they said something was better than nothing at all. Thanks to the foresight of their commissioner, the division can now operate effectively with a proud history in a building that outlived its purpose.

As for me I look forward with pride and admiration to all the men and women who work tirelessly to keep society in check. As for my visits to the station, I hope to keep that on  a professional basis from now on, and so must you.