By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
IN light of the rise in crime in the nation’s capital, Port Moresby, The National took to the street to see what the public has to say about it and how they feel about the situation.
Mimi Steven from Ferguson Island in Milne Bay province is a housewife and is married with two children. She has lived in Port Moresby for 14 years. “Crimes like rape and bag snatching has become a big problem in Port Moresby. Fourteen years ago, these activities did not happen regularly as today,” she said. “Last year, I was a victim of criminals, when youths pulled my bag from a PMV I was travelling on at Two Mile bus stop. Although I lost only K5, the experience of having been robbed in broad daylight was frightening. It seems that the police are incapable of combating crime in the city.”
Marcus Vegumani from Rayu village in Lufa district, Eastern Highlands, is a driver with Holiday Inn and has four children. He has been living in Port Moresby for 20 years and said that criminal activities were on the rise because politicians had neglected the people who had voted them into Parliament. “Politicians should create more jobs for school leavers as well as the unemployed so that they don’t resort to criminal activities to survive.” He said there were also not enough police officers to maintain law and order in the city.
Rueben Bell from Osim village of Green River district, Sandaun province, now looking for another job after resigning two weeks ago as a driver with Garamut Enterprise, said crime was rampant in Port Moresby. He claimed employees of private and public sectors including members of the disciplinary forces were involved in criminal activities. Mr Bell, who is a widower with four children, said he was a victim of both white collar and street petty criminal activities during his six years in Port Moresby. “Bank (named) officers took our logging company’s (named) original cheque with our board members signatures on it and passed it to some of their friends to duplicate it. A cheque was forged and written to a man (named), where it was draw from our account.” He was also held up and robbed of his wallet at Badili.
Peter Valahu a subsistence farmer, from Barakau village, outside Port Moresby, said they get scared when driving through Six Mile. “Drunkards roam the main road and criminals sometimes throw stones or bottles at our vehicles. And when waiting to catch PMVs home at the Four Mile bus stop, we are subjected to harassment and intimidation again by drunkards and drug addicts. Despite having a cop shop in the area, police are doing nothing.”
Jessica Samson, a housewife with a child from Kurki village in Anglimb district, Western Highlands province, said she was scared to move around in public. “I don’t move around much in my five years here in Port Moresby. I’m just scared, even from bag snatchers. Yes, crime is a problem in the city,” she said. Mrs Samson said some times police officers performed their duties half heartedly, and criminals took advantage of this.
Pembu Kusue, a salesman and technician with Remington Technologies from Worei village, Manus province, said that criminal activities, especially car jacking and rape were on the increase in the city everyday. “It probably has to do with unemployment or attitude problems. When people do not have any thing to do, they resort to illegal activities. Attitude problem is another factor,” he said. Mr Kusue has been residing in Port Moresby for 30 years with his wife and four children.
Keno Pius from Yakusa village Okapa district, Eastern Highlands province, who is a housewife with three children, urged that bus stops should be manned all the time by police personnel. “Criminals hang around there and snatch bags and pick pocket from mothers. We need more police foot patrol in public places.” She has been residing in Port Moresby for 26 years.
Conrad Kumul, a chemist with InterOil from Sinasina district, Simbu province, said it was unsafe to move around in Port Moresby. “I was with a group that were attacked by seven armed men with bush knives and a pistol. They wanted to steal the vehicle that we were in but one of our boys distracted them and they fled. We managed to grab one of them, and gave him a beating before handing him over to the police.” He added that police were always giving excuses like they had no fuel, vehicle and so forth. They, however, respond promptly to people who have money to give to them to pursue a compliant. He had been living in Port Moresby for six years.
Gima Peni, a housewife from Hanuabada village in Port Moresby and Butibam village, Morobe, said it was unsafe to move around in public areas in Port Moresby. “One time some youths bumped into me at Boroko in which I suspected they wanted to pick pocket or snatch my bag. I asked them if they had a problem, and instead of apologising they responded aggressively to express their innocence to me.” She said people, especially women were becoming victims of intimidation on the streets because police were not doing enough to protect them. Ms Peni has three children and has been residing in Port Moresby for 12 years.