Police keeping market closed after Lae fight

THE 9-Mile Market outside Lae city will remain closed until all suspects involved in a fight last week between Simbu and Southern Highlands people surrender to police.
“There is no need for people to take sides on individual problems, so, stay out of it,” Lae metropolitan Chief Supt Anthony Wagambie Jr said, adding that reporting to and leaving the matter to the police to handle it is most appropriate.
“Taking sides only creates more problems, and may even lead to more ethnic clashes and other law and order woes,” he said.
According to Wagambie, the fight broke out after men and women drinking homebrew on Wednesday became rowdy.
Police intervened and stopped the fight but it erupted again and continued to Thursday, disrupting traffic on the main road.
3-Mile police station commander senior constable Sam Topurua: “There will be no mediation to settle or resolve the matter.
“I appeal to people not to take sides but report to the police to deal with disputes.
“The majority of ethnic clashes stem from trivial matters that can be handled by police.”
Wagambie Jr applauded Topurua and the two police units for their swift response, appealing to people with information on the fight to call the toll-free number 70903300.
In another case, a man was arrested and was found to have a homemade gun and two rounds of live ammunition last Friday.
The man, from Eastern Highlands, was picked up by Lae-based mobile squad 13 while on routine crime-prevention patrol.
Following police interrogation, the suspect revealed that he and two accomplices were planning an armed robbery.