Firms warned on job seekers

 COMPANIES hiring new employees should obtain a police clearance first, says a senior police officer.

Lae Metropolitan Supt Iven Lakatani made the recommendation following a number of armed holdups in the city recently in what he described as possible “inside jobs”.

The latest incident happened last Thursday in which three armed men were nabbed by police after they attempted to rob an expatriate manager of a company at Lae Top Town.

They were part of a gang of six men who pointed guns at the manager, and tried to pull him out of his vehicle in the middle of the road near Central Court Plaza.

“In most cases, it is an inside job,” Lakatani said.

“Certain people in the company conspire with criminal elements from outside to rob the company,” Lakatani said.

“I urge companies to do security and background checks on their employees and security guards before they employ them.”

Lakatani said the three suspects caught last Thursday were charged with attempted robbery and appeared in court.

He urged the public to report any crime happening in the city to police by calling the 24-hour hotline number 4721833. 

Meanwhile, police have urged Lae residents not to go the beach for a swim when the seas were choppy and rough and during heavy rain.

Lakatani said a 15-year-old from West New Britain had drowned last Saturday at the Esplanade Beachfront.