POLICE awareness on the rule of law and the intent of the Vagrancy Act is afoot in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, police commander Chief Superintendent John Sagom says.
According to Governor Wai Rapa, Mt Hagen accommodates people from all six Highlands provinces in settlements surrounding the city where many were long-term residents living into the fourth generation.
Chief Supt Sagom said the awareness was prompted by youths, allegedly drunk on road sides at Wara Kum and Red Ground community, who had attacked a police unit on Thursday night.
Sagom said none of the police officers sustained any injuries, however the police vehicle sustained damaged from stones thrown by these youths.
He said the Mt Hagen police conducted a dawn raid on Friday, arresting a male suspect and conducted an awareness on the rule of law with community while also using the occassion to highlight the intent of the Vagrancy Act.
Sagom said the rest of the suspects, who were known to police, escaped but community leaders were told to organise their surrender at the station in Mt Hagen.
Community leaders also joined the police in calling on youths in the area to uphold law and order and refrain from causing problems.
“I warned the Red Ground community and also other communities living in settlements within the city that if crimes in the city were linked to a community, police would deal with that community in line with the Vagrancy Act,” he said.
Sagom said raising awareness remained the first strategy in giving a chance to settlers to align with the law.
Meanwhile, Sagom took the awareness also to Dei in the afternoon, calling on youths to stop consuming marijuana and home brew.
He urged the youths to work with their community leaders to change the district for the better as they now had an elected representative in MP Desmond Kipa.
He appealed to all youths and those consuming marijuana and home-brew in the province to change their ways in order for the districts and province to progress and for development to take place.
