Papua New Guinea police have placed more mobile officers on standby, ready to head to the troubled Southern Highlands province town of Mendi.
Deputy Police Commissioner, Jim Andrews. Photo: emtv
This follows rioting last week in which a commercial aircraft was destroyed along with public buildings and the house of the governor.
Two mobile squads of nearly 70 personnel are in the area already, alongside PNG Defence Force soldiers.
In a statement, acting police commissioner Jim Andrews said what happened in Mendi were unthinkable acts of violence.
They were clear evidence of underlying issues that must be addressed by the people themselves and the province's leadership, Mr Andrews said.
Police would not begin investigating and arresting any of the offenders until the threats posed by the rioters had been neutralised, he said.
Two warehouses in Mendi were also broken into during the riot and tonnes of relief supplies stolen, posing serious concerns for the welfare of people affected by the February earthquake, the acting commissioner said.