Security guard told off

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By JIMMY KALEBE
SECURITY guards have no right to insult people when they are at their guard posts, a Lae district court magistrate says.
Magistrate Tera Dawai told Tupu Maeya, 27, from Kipirimanda village in Kompiam-Ambum, Enga, when jailing him for six months yesterday.
He, however, suspended the jail term and ordered that Maeya be put on a 12-month good behaviour bond.
“You have no right to insult people when you are at work,” he said.
“You are simply there to assist people, protect properties and also lives.”
Magistrate Dawai said security guards were supposed to protect properties and people as well, and not treat them badly by either insulting or assaulting people.
“Do not swear at people, rather be good to them,” he said.
The court heard that Maeya committed the offence at his guard post at Awagasi, Kamkumung, in Lae on Sunday.
Maeya was rude to a customer of the store he was guarding and swore at him for not producing a receipt for the item he had bought.
He was reported to police at Omili and was arrested and charged under section 7 (b) of the Summary Offence Act chapter 264.
In another case, a person was cautioned and discharged after the court found him guilty of assaulting his wife.
The court was told Repson Wanu, 18, from Maka village in Kagua, Southern Highlands, on Aug 23 at Kamkumung in Lae, was drunk and assaulted his wife with a tree branch, causing cuts to her head.
Wanu told the court that, at that time, he was not under the influence of alcohol.
He said he was asking his wife where she was and hit her with a broom handle.
Magistrate Dawai said it was time that police not take sides and started conducting interviews on both sides before presenting it in court.
“Police did not get my side of the story,” Wanu told the court.
Dawai told Wanu that he would dismiss his case but warned him not to assault his wife again.