Papua New Guinea's January 2024 police and public servant riot — triggered by a 50% wage reduction — was not an isolated incident. It was the documented consequence of a law enforcement workforce that is chronically underpaid, structurally under-resourced, and operating under the same compensation-cost-of-living framework gaps ISPI has documented across island law enforcement agencies worldwide. As the Pacific Policing Initiative positions Australia and the United States as PNG's primary security partners, ISPI's practitioner-grounded research provides the independent evidence base that program design requires.
ISPI's practitioner-led research addresses six specific public safety and security policy gaps documented in this location — gaps that continental frameworks were not designed to close.
All ISPI research is available at no cost. Download any document and use it in policy work, grant applications, or institutional planning without restriction.
Australian DFAT Pacific Policing Initiative, U.S. State Department INL Pacific programs, and PNG government agencies are invited to commission island-specific law enforcement and governance research from ISPI.
Policy briefs from $5,000 · Assessment reports from $15,000 · Research reports from $25,000
Commission Research →Hotels, ports, hospitals, universities, and corporations operating in this location are eligible for ISPI's Island-Resilient Certification — the only practitioner-led security certification built for island operating environments.
Learn about Certification →