Law and Order and Sorcery related Killings etc. 

1. Lae is said to have many law and order problems, what are some of the main reasons for this? 

To begin, I do not think that Lae has any more law and order problems than other parts of PNG, it is more that when something happens it gets media attention. Lae is reported on daily.

But yes, we deal with a lot of criminal activity including robbery, murder, rape, drug trafficking, fighting also in our secondary schools, etc. There are many reasons, but I find the high use of home-brew is the source of many of our problems. Just recently two brothers (cousins) were drinking home-brew, they got into a fight and one kills the other. Another reason is the use of marijuana. When people smoke-up it is easier for them to commit an offence. A further reason is the number of various ethic groups living together in Lae, many of these ethnic groups have a culture of payback which increases crime. Finally, there is a large gap between the rich and the poor. This discontent leads some to feel they have a right to steal, which of course they don’t have.    

2.  You mention home-brew, who is producing this stuff?   

I have noticed that parents are also getting themselves involved in the production. They are destroying their own children’s lives with this home-brew. We are trying to educate people on the destructive power of home-brew and teach them to do something constructive in order to make money.  Why do they not buy or grow veggies and sell them at the market near their home? Why do they do something that will cost them their lives or the lives of their children and their future? The production of home-brew in Lae has to stop!! 

3.  Moving on to sorcery, why are sorcery related killings on the rise in PNG?  

It is hard to say if they are on the rise. But it seems sadly, that many do not rely on medical or biomedical causes for death. Rather they think it is ‘sik bilong ples’ or someone put a curse on them and then immediately take matters into their own hands often taking someone’s life for the death of another. There is a strong payback mentality in all of this as well: when someone dies, someone else has to die as well. It is revenge killing. There is no law and order when someone is accused.  

4.  How can the police protect those who are threatened and accused of sorcery?   

We can focus on awareness to show that there are many causes of death. We cannot use the phrase “sik bilong ples” because that is said in ignorance. Rather we need to know our diseases. We need to seek verification from the hospital as to the cause of death. Further, we need to allow justice to run its course. That is, we have to uphold the law. Sadly, there are times when the police are out numbered and they are not able to curb the violence because of the crowds of people; and often we are made aware of these accusations when it is too late as the whole matter is kept hidden from us. For these reasons, the police need to work very closely with the community, especially the churches, to help protect the lives of those accused. The churches can help guarantee greater safety for the accused. We need to realize also that there are large groups of young men who have nothing to do and they are often involved in these violent deaths.  We need to find ways to engage these young men and this is where the church must also come in. Finally, we see the need to have our police officers walking the streets and the settlements, that is to be more visible. Our presence helps and we need to be visible.   

5.  Do you have a word for the churches in Lae with respect to crime and also sorcery?  

Yes, the churches must be engaged in their community and work closely with the police. Other things like doing awareness of law and order issues and aligning programs with the education department also help. But the most important, of course, is the spiritual development and maturity of the people. The people need to be taught the Gospel. A spiritual people, a people that serve the Lord, are a people that flee from acts of payback, revenge, producing home-brew and committing other crimes. We need a city full of these people!  

6.  With all the crime and issues that are happening in and around Lae do you ever feel like giving up?

Sometimes I do ask myself why should I continue when people do not respect our position as police. But, really, I love working with the people in Lae. I love seeing change. There are many people contributing with great ideas and their God-given skills to help make Lae a better place. I know that with the Lord’s blessing, if we work hard we will be able to achieve something and together we can leave a legacy, and Lae can be a better place for all.