Businesses disappointed with POM fencing policy

National

By PETER ESILA
BUSINESSES in Port Moresby are disappointed with the National Capital District Commission’s fencing policy, saying it was costing more to use other options.
Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Rio Fiocco said the National Capital District’s fencing policy, if working, should guarantee 100 per cent protection of properties and people.
The policy which called for the removal of razor-wire and Colorbond fences was approved in 2006 and implemented in 2015.
He said it was always a complex issue when it came to urban city dwelling.
Therefore, the National Capital District Commission should also be addressing some of its other policies as well.
“Businesshouses in Port Moresby are not happy. Some businesses are replacing it with electric fencing, which is a lot more expensive to install and a lot more to maintain and run because you have to power it to run all the time,” he said.
“Businesses are employing more security which is an extra cost to businesses. And at the end of the day all that cost gets passed on to the consumer.
“That is why everything here costs so much more than if you buy it in a shop in Sydney or Singapore because it is all the added cost of doing business in this country.
“It is a complex issue.”
He said there should be some form of understanding.
“The reality is you take away all the fencing and the razor wire, then you are going to have an increase in burglaries. It is common sense. You make it easy for criminals – leave the front door open of course and they are going to come walking in.”