The Commissioner of Police, David Manning, has officially paused the current Officer Cadet recruitment drive to conduct an immediate review into regional underrepresentation. The intervention aims to ensure the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) maintains public confidence and fairly reflects the population of every province across the country.

"This is our nation’s police force. It must serve all Papua New Guineans and reflect the people of every province. Public confidence begins with a recruitment process that is fair and can stand up to scrutiny," Commissioner Manning stated.

The pause comes just before the interview phase after a demographic breakdown revealed lower application numbers from specific regions. The RPNGC review will examine systematic barriers preventing candidates from certain provinces from advancing, such as localized education standards, health criteria, and regional difficulties in acquiring required supporting documentation.

A total of 3,304 Officer Cadet applications were received for this cycle, with 1,485 applicants successfully shortlisted for their first interview. Commissioner Manning confirmed that the automated electronic systems used by RPNGC recruitment staff ensured complete transparency and digital audit trails for every submission.

Commissioner Manning emphasized that the review will not result in diluted entry criteria.

"Let me be clear: recruitment standards will not be lowered," Manning affirmed. "Building a force that reflects every province and maintaining high standards are responsibilities we must uphold together. This review will establish where applicants are falling short and why, so we can uphold recruitment standards while ensuring people from every province have a fair opportunity to serve."

The RPNGC expects the administrative pause to last a few weeks. Once finalized, the recruitment drive will immediately proceed to the interview phase and subsequent physical evaluations.

The Commissioner highlighted the historic rigor of the program, noting that out of more than 3,000 applicants in 2023, only 63 qualified to begin the grueling three-year program, culminating in 54 being commissioned as Inspectors in October 2026.

A formal public notice will be issued immediately upon the completion of the review to advise all shortlisted applicants of the upcoming interview schedules and next steps.