Lack of police efforts upsets local leaders

 KUNABAU leaders in the Chimbu’s Kerowagi district trying to stop homebrew drinking and smoking of marijuana are upset with police for not helping them to enforce community law.

During a meeting at Duglogambal market on Saturday, the leaders called on police in Kerowagi to help community leaders.

Community leaders, Pr Mike Martin, Dilu Neng Nem, Goiye Alois and Gabriel Boi Kugame from the Yage Maugonem tribe, said they had taken the initiative last year to stop drugs and homebrew in their area because of escalating law and order problems.

Kugame said the Duglogambal market located beside the main road had been turned into a notorious place where locals harassed the travelling public, demanded money from buses and stole from travellers.

“When we launched the law, many people involving in producing homebrew and selling marijuana at the market stopped for four months, but now people are slowly producing homebrew and selling them at the market again,” he said.

Kugame said many times when they tried to stop those vendors the people went against them. 

“We know these people and want police to come in and assist us to go into their village and arrest them,” he said.