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THE face of crime in Papua New
Guinea will change, this time for the worse, as more mobile phones get
into the hands of criminals.
This was a concern for the business representatives in Lae.
They told The National that crime would take a new dimension as
communication between criminals was made easier due to the influx of
mobile phones into the country.
“In the past, they could not afford the services provided by Telikom, so
there were few mobile phones in the hands of criminals but now, nearly
everyone has a mobile phone,” a leading businessman in Lae said.
He said transport companies were now worried about sending cargoes on
trucks up the Highlands Highway because of fear of armed gangs.
Meanwhile, the president of the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Allan McLay said that “someone in Lae, even one of the trucking
companies own staff, can ring a criminal friend in the Highlands and
plan to carry out robbery” along the highway.
On the positive side, Mr McLay said competition was good for the country
and it would be foolish to stop Digicel in PNG.
He said PNG had a “wonderful opportunity now” that communication was
expanded, right into the local communities.
“It’s a great opportunity. If there is a secondary effect, we just have
to deal with it. We will continue to support the police, as always, to
contain such a situation when it develops,” Mr McLay said.
Police would certainly need help from the private sector to combat the
new level of crime that would develop following the introduction of
affordable mobile phones in PNG.
“We do not have the capacity to fight crime at this level. We do not
have the logistics, the manpower and the communication systems to match
those used by the criminals,” a senior police commander said.
He said the PNG police force must be rebuilt to reflect the changing
times and the new government must take ownership of this.
The force, according to a senior officer, need more better trained men
and women, new and better communication facilities and systems, more
cars and boats and money to fight crime at this level.
“We are already seeing a huge increase in domestic cases, where the men
are fighting with their wives and marriages are breaking up.
“This will grow into bigger problems and we do not have the capacity to
respond well and on time,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, in their promotion drive throughout the country, Telikom and
Digicel had sold thousands of mobile phones at cheaper prices throughout
the country.
Although the two companies did not reach any agreement to share their
networks, there is at least one company that had advertised that it was
selling a “two-in-one” product that can use SIM cards from both Telikom
and Digicel at the same time.
 
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