Palau has 147 police officers for its six divisions.
Palau Bureau of Public Safety Director Norvert H. Yano said for this year, they asked for over $5 million budget but they were given only half of it.
“We present a budget and if we don’t get the whole figure, we have to re-prioritize our programs. We can live with it but we have to make sacrifices,” Yano said.
He said Palau needs funding to maintain its fleet of patrol boats in addition to the needs of its other programs.
Palau has a very low crime rate, Yano said, and this could be attributed to the huge community support they are getting.
“The community acts as our eyes and ears and they help report and solve crimes,” Yano said.
Pohnpei, one of the states of the Federated States of Micronesia, has only 99 police officers for its 38,000 population.
Pohnpei Chief of Police Joe Roby said that limited budget is also their biggest challenge. “It’s really very challenging but we are working hard trying to confront the crime rate and make sure that programs are in place to help us with what we have,” he said.
They also need to provide more training to the officers, he added.
He said Pohnpei has a very low crime rate, and the most common complaint is disturbing the peace.
“It’s a very peaceful place, we hardly have a homicide case and our mission is to make sure that we maintain it that way so people would like to come to our place,” Roby said. “The collective effort of the public and the culture play a major role in maintaining peace and security. It’s a small island and we know one another, and that helps.”
He added that they are fortunate to get assistance from Australia and the U.S.
Chuuk, with a population close to 60,000, has only 150 police personnel.
“Funding is our biggest concern in Chuuk. All our programs need funds to be able to operate,” Chuuk Public Safety Director Jimmy Emilio said.
“We have to combat the high price of fuel and everything and we need money to buy equipment, train our personnel and address all the other needs of the department,” Emilio added.
Chuuk has the most number of crimes in the FSM. “There are marijuana plants all over the place, not just in one area and we need boats, fuel and personnel to go to these areas to monitor and uproot these marijuana plants,” Emilio said.
“I guess the people are selling marijuana plants to address their economic needs. The island’s economy is very bad, ” he added.
Chuuk is the most populated state in the FSM, with scattered islands ranging from 10 to 100 miles.
The three police chiefs are among the participants of the 6th Micronesian Police Executives Association meeting held at the Saipan World Resort from Aug. 5 to 7.
