City residents want crime rate reduced

THE increase in harassment and petty crimes in Lae has prompted a man to take a petition to police to address related issues, especially at the city’s main bus stops.
Raguel Kepas, a resident of Lae and his friends presented a petition to Lae metropolitan commander Chief Insp Chris Kunyanban and voiced his concern about the treatment of the elderly, young women and mothers.
“There has been too much petty crimes and harassment of older men and women in the market and is becoming a norm,” Kepas said.
“It is on the rise. We see and feel that we need to raise concern to the right authorities to deal with it.
“Phone-snatching and other issues like selling on the streets have become an eye sore. When police leave these spots, these activities pop up again.
“We have CCTV(closed-circuit television) and I’ve talked with Chief Insp Kunyanban and he highlighted funding constraints to assist in installing and maintaining the CCTVs.
“We want to address street vending. Street vendor are the cause of all these problems.
“We don’t want a small thing to worsen in public hands, so we want this to be addressed.
“I took this stand because my wife and my in-law had been victims.
“I have a daughter and I don’t want her to be a victim of this petty crimes, that is why I want authorities to be aware and to address these issues.”