Commissioner of Police, David Manning, has announced that a new interagency law enforcement group has been established to focus on confiscating the ill-gotten gains of criminals.
The Asset Restraint and Recovery Working (ARROW) Group brings together specialist officers from the Bank of PNG Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit (FAŠU), the RPNGC National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate (NFACD), and the Office of the Public Prosecutor (OPP).
The arrangement was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the three agencies that establishes a framework co-location in a secure RPNGC facility.
“ARROW will investigate suspicious financial transactions and gather evidence that will be used in court to freeze accounts, seize assets and initiate restraining order application,” Mr Manning said.
“Legislation is in place to confiscate the proceeds of crime and ARROW has been established to make this happen.
“This is the first time these three agencies will work together from the same location. It enables much more effective inter-agency collaboration and improve effectiveness in the identification, tracing, and recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2022.”
Commissioner Manning highlighted that face-to-face collaboration enabled faster decision-making so that matters could be prosecuted in court and assets seized before criminals tried to hide them.
“With the ARROW Group we can plan the seizure of assets from initial investigation through to prosecution and avoid the delays and miscommunications that can come from working in different locations.
“Criminals who benefit from corruption, drugs, weapons, stolen goods and other illegal activities face the real prospect that they will lose their houses, vehicles and money in their bank accounts without warning
“In the modern era of communications and surveillance, criminals are not able to hide the proceeds of their crimes as had been the case in the past and they are on notice.
“Confiscating the assets and money of criminals has been very effective in other countries and has wide-spread public support.
“Those officers working within the ARROW Group have been given clear directions. Hit criminals where it hurts, seize assets, freeze bank accounts and take the profit out of crime,” Commissioner Manning said.