Illegal liquor outlets warned

The Regulatory Services Liquor Licensing Division is issuing a warning to illegal liquor outlets in the city to stop their operations, particularly during the Christmas and New Year period.
These outlets have also been advised to apply for licences through proper procedures and processes.
Senior liquor licensing officer Tom Kamtai had recently issued notices to seven illegal outlets in the city in the Moresby South Electorate and is continuing to issue them in parts of the city.
“The notices that we are issuing are simple compliance notices. Many of these black markets are illegally operating and should not be selling alcohol at all,” Kamtai said. More notices would be issued to illegal outlets in the Moresby North East and North West areas.
“We have been carrying out this operation for a number of years now and compliance is all we ask. There have been many social and legal implications arising from within communities and neighbourhoods in the city as a result of these illegal outlets,” Kamtai said.
He said the main reason they needed to issue the notices was because many of the outlets operated on a 24-hour basis.
“Once you have a proper and legal liquor licence issued by the commission after applying through the right procedures and processes, then there are certain guidelines which you should follow and should not operate under. Your legal operating hours are from 10am to 6pm and after that you are to close your shop,” he said.
“The commission has a duty to regulate such activities being the municipal authority and if we do not do our job, then the community reflects our lack of discipline,” Kamtai said.