International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has kept its commitment towards advancing the peace and order situation in Papua New Guinea after recently breaking ground for another police station in Omili, a suburb of Lae City in Morobe province.

Through ICTSI’s wholly-owned subsidiary ICTSI South Pacific Ltd. and social responsibility arm ICTSI Foundation, the soon-to-rise PGK505,000 (US$149,000) police facility will have separate cell blocks for men, women and juveniles, an ablution block, offices fully furnished with desks, chairs, computers, ceiling fans and a wall mounted TV. A women’s desk will likewise be put up to encourage female victims to seek assistance and file complaints.

Eyeing not only the development of high-performing maritime logistics facilities, but also the development of its host communities, ICTSI’s latest commitment in Omili follows through its earlier donation of a police facility in Malahang, also in Lae, last February 2019.

Similar to the one in Malahang, this new police facility will be a public-private partnership with the Ahi Hope Foundation in Lae, Hon, John Rosso, the Member for Lae and Minister for Lands, as well as the Lae City Authority.

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Hon. John Rosso, MP for Open Lae and Papua New Guinea Minister for Lands and Physical Planning (third from left) and Filipina C. Laurena, ICTSI Foundation Deputy Executive Director (fourth from left), led the groundbreaking and time-capsule burying for the construction of a new PGK505,000 police station at the Omili suburb in the Kamkumung area, Lae City. 
 Joining them (from left): George Gware, South Pacific International Container Terminal General Manager and Anil Singh, ICTSI South Pacific chief executive officer; Hon. Bryan Kramer, PNG Police Minister; Willard Bogan, AHI Hope Foundation Executive Officer; Morris Aaron, AHI Investment Ltd. Director; Mrs. Nellie Mclay, AHI Prudential Development chairlady; and Gari Baki, PNG Police Commissioner.

“As we plant the seeds to create livable cities and communities with stronger peace and order institutions, it is our hope that these efforts will make a ripple effect to address socioeconomic gaps and challenges all across the port community and beyond,” says Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI Global Corporate Head and President of the ICTSI Foundation.

Government, citizens and corporations alike are combining efforts to keep the peace, grow communities and instill investor confidence: “We are in the business of bringing world class services to our port operation here in Papua New Guinea. But, we know that law and order problems continue to rip the fabric of society at its seams, and as a new corporate citizen, we have an obligation to ensuring that we are able to positively influence the narrative over the course of our 25-year concession,” stressed Anil Singh, ICTSI South Pacific chief executive officer.

“The Malahang police station in Lae is a testament to our community investment and our willingness to collaborate and partner with the government and the community. Our new undertaking in Omili is largely underpinned by our commitment to our staff, and the safety and security of the communities where they reside, and the safety and security of the community where we operate,” Filipina C. Laurena, ICTSI Foundation Deputy Executive Director further emphasized.

The construction of the police station will involve local contractors engaging community members, so the money goes back into the community, along with investments in human capital that goes along with it.

South Pacific International Container Terminal in Lae and Motukea International Terminal in Port Moresby have committed to invest in major equipment upgrades, leading edge port technology, and human resources development.

Recently, the Company took delivery of three new hybrid rubber tyred gantries for the Lae terminal and introduced safety cages in PNG ports, expected to further boost terminal efficiency and bring cost-reduction along with added security.