Kundiawa ‘rumours’ irk top cop

KUNDIAWA is not dangerous as being speculated through the media recently, says Chimbu police commander Epenes Nili.
Nili said there were no reports of escalating rate of crime in the province including Kundiawa town recently and over the past months.
“There are no rising murder cases, armed robberies, roadblocks, rapes, and tribal fighting reported in the province currently,” Nili told The National. “Business houses, market vendors and people continue to do their normal business in the provincial capital, Kundiawa, as usual.”
Nili was responding to concerns raised by locals recently about the current state of the town which they claimed had been taken over by thugs, drunks and marijuana addicts in markets, bus stops and shop fronts in Kundiawa.
“Why not you come to Kundiawa and see for yourself that the town is safe. It is disrespectful when you live outside the province and speculate on rumours just to attack the good work of the authorities,” he said.
Nili, however, said people should take precaution and look after their personal items such as money and phones in Kundiawa, just like any other town, including Mt Hagen, Lae and Port Moresby.
Nili said the current issue in Kundiawa was the increasing number of people commuting into town every day and the lack of proper management of waste and rubbish.
“Police are not responsible for managing the increasing amount of rubbish in the town area,” he said.
“The land mass that the town occupies is small and it is surrounded by traditional landowner communities like Kamanuku, Enduka, Narku and others.
“Youths and young ones that roam the town, including people who are involved in drugs, street markets, production and consumption of homebrew. They are from these surrounding communities in Kundiawa.
“If we remove them, where would they go?”
Meanwhile, Nili said some suspended and former police officers were trying to create issues and spoil the good police work in the province.