Drop in crime seen after Madang liquor ban

POLICE in Madang have seen a drop in crime since a liquor ban was imposed last December.
Provincial police commander Chief Inspector Ben Neneo said cases of family sexual violence decreased.
From September to December last year, 39 of the 163 offences reported were liquor-related. But from January to February this year, none of the 91 offences reported were liquor-related. Similarly, there were no road accidents related to alcohol consumption in December and January.
“It is obvious from the crimes statistics that the number of crimes reported at the duty office had drastically decreased after the liquor ban was imposed,” Neneo said.
He said the Modilon Hospital outpatient registry reported only one case of injury sustained from an alcohol-related incident last December. There were three cases in January and none in February.
Neneo said the liquor ban saw to a safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
After the ban was lifted by the Madang National Court last week, police attended to two cases of alcohol-related incidents. One involved a public servant driving a government vehicle into a ditch at Malmal village outside Madang. At Negiri, a man died in a road accident.
Madang Governor Peter Yama said the provincial executive council would revisit the ban and correct the process as pointed out in court.