Crackdown on street sales, petty crimes

 POLICE in Mt Hagen are cracking down on street sales, petty crimes and other illegal activities to keep the city crime-free.

It follows the killing of a man at the city’s main bus stop three weeks ago.

Provincial police commander Martin Lakari told his officers to clamp down on illegal activities.

Police began the operation last week by conducting foot patrols on the streets of Mt Hagen.

Last Friday, police officers raided street vendors at the Mt Hagen main bus stop destroying all items on sale.

The vendors fled leaving behind the items they were selling.

A street vendor who did not want to be named said they entirely depended on street sales.

“This is how we make our living and to put food on the table for our family,” he said.

The seller claimed that they lost cash and items worth hundreds of kina during the raid.

He said life in the city was very hard and people resorted to street sales to earn an income.

“We are now suffering as we lost everything to police,’’he said.

He said many youths now resorted to crime to earn a living.

Street seller Sera Kora said she lost an esky full of soft drinks.

She said the little she earned from her sales helped to pay school fees for her children. “My family depends on this. This is our living.”