THE Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) has marked a historic milestone, announcing that for the first time, more than 700 recruits will undergo police training at the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) in Bomana, National Capital District.
A total of 715 candidates were shortlisted for the second batch of 2025 recruits, drawn from the Highlands, New Guinea Islands, and the southern provinces of NCD, Central, and Gulf.
These recruits will undertake a six-month intensive training program at the NCoE. Of the shortlisted candidates, 27 declined the offer, while 688 have confirmed their acceptance and are now in Bomana preparing for training.
Among them are 85 women, reflecting the Constabulary’s ongoing commitment to gender equity in law enforcement.
In previous years, the RPNGC could only accommodate 250 to 300 recruits per intake. However, the expansion of training facilities at Bomana has enabled the Constabulary to meet the government’s directive to increase intake numbers.
This second batch of 2025 recruits is a direct result of that capacity boost.
Breakdown of confirmed recruits by region: Highlands Region: Eastern Highlands (31), Simbu (50), Jiwaka (22), Western Highlands (41), Enga (5), Southern Highlands (13) New Guinea Islands Region: Manus (15), West New Britain (28), East New Britain (40), New Ireland (7), Autonomous Region of Bougainville (8) Southern Region: NCD (315), Central (58), Gulf (19)
The RPNGC has also announced that the call for applications for the 2026 Regular Recruit and Police Cadet programs will be released later this month, offering more opportunities for aspiring officers to join the force.