Council helps police in move to prevent smuggling

THE Aitape Urban Council has assisted police in carrying out awareness to try to stop smuggling of firecrackers from the PNG-Indonesia border, says Mayor Ian Smith Welisai.
He cautioned the public and residents of Aitape township to take precautions during the Christmas period against trouble and crime.
“We want to help the police to stop the illegal smuggling of firecrackers through the PNG-Indonesia border, as criminals sometimes pretend to smuggle firecrackers and they actually smuggle guns and other illegal firearms,” Welisai said.
He said the authorities in town were cautioning people to take care of themselves as robbery could take place anytime.
“Why we want to do that is because those firecrackers sometimes contribute to noise pollution.”
Welisai said they had been working with police to carry out awareness against a lot of law and order issues in Aitape.
“Police are police and we all know they have the power to implement the law but us, the leaders and citizens, also have the responsibility to control law-and-order situations in our society because law and order is on all of us,” he said.
“My office stressed more on behavioural change than developments because developments will happen but if people did not change their mindsets tghere will be law-and-order issues.”