Man gets 12 months for carrying weapon in public

THE Mt Hagen District Court last Monday sentenced a man to 12 months imprisonment for carrying a bush knife in public.
Western Highlands police commander Martin Lakari told The National that 23-year-old Sendrick Mawa from Hagen Central was arrested by Mt Hagen police on Dec 26 and charged for carrying a weapon during their Christmas operations in the province.
“Many people think that to be in possession of weapons like bush knives, kitchen knives, bows and arrows in public places is normal,” he said.
Lakari added that this was against the law and they could attract tough penalties if police arrested them.
He said Mawa was arrested
because he was carrying a bush knife around with him in Mt Hagen city.
Lakari said he appeared at the Mt Hagen District Court on Jan 8 and the court found him guilty.
“He was asked to pay a fine of K500 but because he did not have the money, he was sentenced to 12 months with hard labour,” he said.
“To reduce crime in our town, people need to take heed of this case as an example to deter such crimes in the future.”
He commended the police officers concerned and the court for doing their jobs well in this case.
“Most of the time, police officers turn a blind eye to such cases when they see people walking around with weapons in such public areas when they should be arresting people,” he said.