Fifteen students caught drinking homebrew

By JUNIOR UKAHA

FIFTEEN students – including 11 girls – from a secondary school in Lae were caught by police last Friday consuming homebrew at a settlement.
Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jr said there were 18 altogether but three boys managed to escape when police arrived.
He said they were drinking alcohol locally known as “steam” and “white sup” at the Bumbi settlement near Tent City.
Tent City police, who regularly conduct foot patrols in the area, were in civilian clothes while patrolling the settlement last Friday. They came across the group drinking.
“Policemen were attracted to the location upon hearing the group crying after being drunk,” Wagambie Jr said.
“Police apprehended 15 of the 18. Three male students escaped.”
The students were taken to the Central Police Station and handed over to the Juvenile Justice Unit members to deal with them.
Wagambie said drinking sessions by students was a serious problem which needed to be addressed.
“This is an ongoing problem, not only in Lae, but in many parts of the country where school children have been going out drinking (during school hours),” Wagambie said.
“Parents and guardians think that their children are at school when actually they are out with friends drinking.
“We will do more awareness in partnership with schools to change the mindsets of school-aged children.”