Kerowagi community leaders pledge support to stop crime

KUNABAU leaders in Chimbu’s Kerowagi district have thrown their support behind police to minimise lawlessness in their area.
During a gathering held at Duglogambal market last Thursday with the provincial police commander Supt Joseph Tondop, the leaders said whoever engaged in criminal activities would face the consequences.
The leaders pledge of support came after Tondop organised a meeting to tell the people to
stay away from trouble because of continuous criminal activities along the Highlands Highway in the Kerowagi district.
The leaders – Otto Vitus, Baundo Waine, Onguglo Kela, chairman of Kunabau village court Aglua Guma and magistrate Per Bonguro – said whoever committed a crime within their community would be reported to police to face the full force of the law.
The village leaders said the mentality of tribesmen contributing money and pigs to help offenders paying compensation was not helping to address the problem but indirectly promoting it.
They said if their tribesmen knew they had committed a crime on the road or against another tribe, their tribesmen would still help them to pay compensation and they continue to commit the crime.
The leaders and even the people agreed that if one commits a crime, he or she would face the consequence and not the family members or the tribe like in the past.
Tondop told the people that Duglogambal, Teine Creek, Koronigle, Ganigle and Kumbagl were now turning into notorious places and challenged the leaders to educate their people to refrain from engaging in criminal activities.
He said there were many holdups, looting, killing, attacks and many other criminal activities occurring on a daily basis, adding that these problems were caused by people under the influence of marijuana and homebrew.
Tondop said police needed assistance from the leaders and community at large to come out and inform the police where people involved in criminal activities were operating so that they would go after them and have them arrested and put them behind bars.
He said enough was enough and people must now change their mentality and live a good life back in their communities.