This paper examines some of the key trends in  Papua New Guinea's security environment with a view to considering how they are likely to affect the country's political and economic stability. The following section briefly considers  Papua New Guinea's external and internal security environments and the respective challenges they pose. An outline of the most pressing 'law and order' issues follows. An examination of the struggles of public policing and rise of private security indicates the shifting landscape of security governance in Papua New Guinea and the risks and opportunities it presents.