Addressing unemployment vital

Business

UNEMPLOYMENT is the issue that must be addressed by Government to curb law-and-order issues in the country, Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry says.
President Rio Fiocco said people turned to crime as a means of survival and that was always a concern for businesses in Papua New Guinea.
“There are a lot of people coming into the city looking for jobs,” he said.
“Most of the people in settlements do not have jobs.
“Most of them are surviving on crime.”
Fiocco said National Capital District Commission should be working closely with police to guarantee safety of residents, as razor wire and colourbond fences were removed.
“You need to go back and see why are people are jumping the fence and stealing,” he said.
“That is because there are not enough jobs.
“I’ll give you an example: they took down the razor wire on the block of units that I own in 2015.
“Within one month, I had two break-ins.
“What did I have to do? I had to employ another security guard, so instead of one, I had two security guards at night.
“That is good for employment because that is an extra security guard now being paid, but no good for my business because that is costing me a lot of money.
“From the city’s point of view, once you take down the razor wire, it supposedly makes the city look better.
“What about the people living in those houses that are now vulnerable and subject to easily getting broken into?”