Questions have been raised about the Papua New Guinea Government's commitment to tackle cases of police brutality, after a video surfaced allegedly showing two local police officers brutally beating, kicking and verbally abusing a young man.

Key points: Police said the men were reprimanded and an investigation launched

Police said the men were reprimanded and an investigation launched Rights groups say police violence is routine and "investigations go nowhere"

Rights groups say police violence is routine and "investigations go nowhere" The incident has raised questions over Australia's police training program in PNG

The video — which has gone viral on PNG social media — has drawn widespread condemnation, with PNG Minister for Police Jelta Wong ordering an immediate investigation and promising to hold those responsible to account.

"As soon as I watched it, I took action," Mr Wong told the ABC.

"I was actually quite sickened. To see this kind of action taken on a minor has really cut me up."

A second video shows armed officers taking it in turns to whip the young man with sticks and kicking him in the face and body in front of onlookers.

One of the officers then steps on the victim's head while pointing his weapon at him, before continuing to whip and drag him along rocks — local authorities said the victim was 15 or 16 years old and was part of a group that robbed a woman.

Mr Wong said the men were "reprimanded, their weapons taken off them, stripped of their uniform" and they are now awaiting investigation.

He described the incident as a "kick in the guts" saying he had tried to look after officers and put police first since he became minister last year.

Questions raised over Australia's police training program

Australian Federal Police have been providing training and support to their Papua New Guinean counterparts over the past decade. ( ABC News, file photo )

It's not the first time police officers in PNG have been investigated for reports of brutality, and human rights advocates don't believe the issue is being comprehensively dealt with.

Elaine Pearson, Australian director of Human Rights Watch, said they have seen videos like this before but while police often say they will investigate, she adds that "those investigations go nowhere".

"This video is horrific, it's appalling and I think it shows how endemic police violence is in PNG," she said.

"I think the reason why police feel so invincible in terms of carrying out violence like this is because there is no accountability for police violence and so it's effectively routine."

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Australia has spent millions of dollars over the past decade sending Australian Federal Police to work as unarmed advisors, providing training and support to their Papua New Guinean counterparts, but the incident has raised questions regarding the success of Australia's training program.

"The success of our aid program and our Federal Police program should not and cannot be judged on one incident," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

"I'll find out the details of this incident but it does indicate that Australia should continue to maintain our presence there assisting, advising, supporting the PNG police and the PNG Government."

However, Ms Pearson said that while the work the AFP has done in PNG has been commendable, Canberra should take a firmer approach.

"I think that training will really be of limited value if there isn't also some kind of proper process of independently providing oversight to the police, and that's what's really missing," she said.

Ms Pearson said PNG lacks the resources to carry out detailed investigations.

"It would be helpful if the Australian Government also benchmarked some of that assistance against having proper oversight and monitoring and ensuring abusive police officers have been held to account."