The best and most experienced PNG guide is Greg Stathakis. We recommend the trips that he leads to our own friends. He takes groups to the Mt. Hagen Show in August. The tour includes other areas like the Sepik River. In some ways, PNG is safer than it was a few years ago.
Many villages now maintain order themselves.
Most travelers have a wonderful time and enjoy the friendly hospitality of the New Guinea people. However, the potential for sudden, violent crime is there, even with the most experienced guides. Major cities, access roads and rivers are not always safe and seem to be getting worse. I hate to post this type of negative statement, but I felt the alternative was to pull this travel page. The U.S. State Department has a good Primer on Personal Security in Papua New Guinea .