Papua New Guinea's police chief has lashed out at a Washington-based magazine that listed Port Moresby as one of the world's top five murder capitals.
Foreign Policy magazine last September listed Port Moresby alongside Caracas in Venezuela, Cape Town in South Africa, New Orleans in the US and the Russian capital Moscow as the globe's most dangerous cities.
But PNG's top cop Gari Baki, in a written statement released on Wednesday, lashed out at the validity of the magazine's listing criteria.
"As commissioner of PNG's police force I was shocked and upset over Foreign Policy's listing because it is simply untrue," he said.
"This report is grossly unfair on PNG and sets back the many positive developments taking place within the country," he said.
Baki said the magazine used old, 2004, figures, incorrect data and failed to take into account population fluctuations.
"There is no denying that PNG has a serious law and order problem, but PNG and its problems cannot be compared with the four major cities (listed)," he said.
Port Moresby, population approximately 250,000, was recorded to have 54 murders for every 100,000 people.
Baki said that in his whole career he had never heard of 54 murders in one year.
In 2004, the Economist Intelligence Unit survey listed Port Moresby as the "worst city" in the world.
PNG suffers high levels of corruption and violent crime tied to criminal gangs called "raskols".
Police corruption also figures highly in the difficulties combating PNG's crime rates.
Traditional cyclical payback violence, superstitions and mob rule in remote villages also contributes to the daily incidence of murder and mayhem.
Front page
RSS Feed