By ZACHERY PER
A combine Highlands Highway policing awareness is being conducted along the Eastern Highlands section of the highway.
The awareness is being carried out by police highway patrol, the public complain section and Eastern Highlands Law and Justice Sector programme.
Chief Sgt Dick Tambua, who is leading the awareness programme, told The National yesterday that there was a need for people living close to the highway to be educated on the consequences of law and order problems along the highway.
They stop at strategic locations along the highway to talk to people and also get feedbacks from them.
Sgt Tambua said they began the awareness from Magiro (border of Eastern Highlands and Simbu) to Asaro and was slowly moving to Kainantu and would end at Singsing Creek, the border of Eastern Highlands and Morobe.
He said some of the issues they highlighted during the awareness included compensation claims for structural developments along the highway, highway trucks looting, harassing of travelling public, drug trafficking and other related issues.
“We also discussed with the people on the role of police in maintaining law and order along the highway and what the people should do to keep the highway free of law and order problems,” he said.
Sgt Tambua said responses from people along the highway indicated that they were not aware of what they were to do to assist along the highway as far as law and order was concerned.
“We are also conducting awareness on children’s and women’s rights, and also talk to them on HIV/AIDS issues,” he said.