Mendi Police Station Stage 1 Completed, Stage 2 Commissioned
The Southern Highlands Provincial Government has completed the first stage of the Mendi Police Station and Provincial Police Headquarters upgrade, establishing the foundation for a safer and more functional policing facility.
MENDI, Southern Highlands Province, 13 April 2026: The Southern Highlands Provincial Government has marked the completion of Stage 1 of the Mendi Police Station upgrade with the formal presentation of a PGK5 million payment for the project.
The ceremony brought together representatives of the Provincial Government, Provincial Administration, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the project contractor and the Unity Legacy Project Management Unit.
Stage 1 included demolition and internal strip-out works, perimeter fencing, roof preparation and structural stabilisation. These works addressed immediate safety concerns and prepared the existing station for the next stage of reconstruction and refurbishment.
The upgrade is intended to restore the Mendi Police Station as a safe and effective operating base for police serving Mendi and the wider Southern Highlands Province. The facility is also the Provincial Police Headquarters and plays an important role in operational coordination, community safety and law enforcement across the Province.
The existing facility had deteriorated to the point where extensive work was required. Rather than allow the project to remain stalled while wider funding arrangements were being resolved, SHPG allocated PGK5 million from available programme funding to complete the first stage and keep the project moving.
The payment forms part of the PGK30 million national funding tranche administered by SHPG across critical Southern Highlands infrastructure and programme requirements. The Provincial Administration has maintained expenditure records and acquittal documentation for the funds applied to the Police Station and other approved projects.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Donald Yamasombi attended the programme as part of a wider police, security and project delegation to Southern Highlands.
“Completing the Mendi Police Station is an important investment in the officers who serve this Province and the communities they protect. A proper operating base strengthens command, coordination and public safety. I commend the Southern Highlands Provincial Government for taking practical action to move this project forward,” DCP Yamasombi said.
The project forms part of the wider Southern Highlands renewal and Unity Legacy programme initiated under Governor William Powi. That programme has brought education, policing, health, public infrastructure and provincial readiness projects into a coordinated delivery framework.
The Unity Legacy PMU, led by Muruk Advisory Partners Director John Young, supported coordination between SHPG, the Provincial Administration, RPNGC, the contractor and relevant national stakeholders. Its role included project tracking, funding follow-up, reporting, issue escalation and coordination of the ceremony and wider delegation programme.
Procurement, payment approval, construction, technical certification and operational control of the Police Station remained with the authorised government bodies, RPNGC and appointed contractor.
Mr Young said the project demonstrated the importance of maintaining visible progress on critical public infrastructure.
“A safe and functioning Provincial Police Headquarters is essential infrastructure. Stage 1 has dealt with the immediate building and site requirements and established the base for the next stage. The priority now is to maintain the funding, coordination and technical oversight needed to complete the facility and return it to full operational use,” Mr Young said.
Pacifica Constructions progressed the Stage 1 works under the project arrangements established by SHPG. The next phase will continue the reconstruction and refurbishment required to deliver a complete, certified and operational police facility.
Temporary operating arrangements have been maintained during construction so that provincial police leadership and essential policing functions can continue while works are underway.
The project sits alongside an RPNGC-led security planning programme coordinated through the Unity Legacy PMU. This has brought national and provincial agencies together around operational planning, risk management, emergency services and infrastructure readiness.
Completion of Stage 1 represents an important milestone, but it is not the completion of the entire Police Station. Further works remain subject to approved funding, certified milestones and the required government and technical processes.
SHPG and its delivery partners will continue working toward completion, certification and formal handover of the upgraded Mendi Police Station as a permanent law-and-order asset for Southern Highlands Province.
ENDS
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