no "development" with "crime"
2006: analysis
Back to the future: Murder Inc. :
Continuous crime problem on Ferguson Island.
Molima and Salakadi particular areas of alleged criminal activity. Crime sustained by : rising population, no development, isolation, and the evaporation of government and ineffective political leadership.
Criminal-ring, based at Salakadi, alleged to run a business for assassination. Reserve-police, ex-serviceman, LLG representatives, village-court, and staff at Esa'ala, alleged to be complicit. Some arrests, but much of Ferguson Island outside the law. Policing, local administration (kiaps) , Village Courts, LLGs: ineffective. No law sector coordination at district level.
Policing made worse by continual reports of police brutality, that stops community support for the law.
Piracy: reports that villagers coming from Ferguson Island to Alotau, by work-boats are being attacked by men in banana-boats operating around East Cape and Bubuleta. In previous years there have been reports of piracy in the China Strait area.
Alotau: the virtual collapse of policing (bad management, no discipline, drunkenness/booze & buai-culture, habitual violence) sees the an increased visibility of urban crime. No grade 5 magistrate causes delays, long custody-periods awaiting trial, & escapes. No coordination of policing, courts CIS at provincial level.
Apparent rise in urban break & enter, armed robbery, as no visible pro-active community policing, and the risks of detection decrease.
Urban land & housing priced out of the reach of most Papua New Guineans.
No housing for poor and low or medium income groups, incapacity in town administration, and lack of control over vacant government land force urban poor and low & medium income groups, to occupy vacant government land.
Peri-urban customary landowners allow unregulated settlement.
Alotau Urban Local Level Government, provincial government administration unable to cope with peri-urban settlements. Effective land administration hampered by centralisation of land registries and powers in Port Moresby.
New shipping services bring in settlers, and criminals-on-the-run.
the log:
September23rd Break & Enter: Masurina Lodge
October
2nd Escape from custody: Giligili Corrective Institutions: Chamber of Commerce report break-out. No CIS, or police confirmation until November 15th Post Courier;
8-9th Armed Robbery: Kedus Trade-store Golonai
16th Break & Enter Mecca 44 hole cut in fence, and stealing
19th Break & Enter Mecca 44 hole cut in fence and stealing
21st Armed robbery, Islands Petroleum 0100 hrs approx, security guards assaulted (guard smashed in face with gun-butt); break & enter, hole cut in fence and stealing
November
Escape from custody: report of break out from Lae Buino Corrective Institution. Criminals land in Alotau via MV Milne Bay
2rd Armed Robbery: Masurina Guest-house; some criminals arrested; suspects believed to be six more more from in and around the town and settlements, working together with escapees from Giligili Corrective Institution.
8th Armed Robbery: Executive Hires Taxi
10th Wilful Murder, Armed Robbery: Naura village trade-store, shop manager shot and died en route to seek medical help in Alotau
11th Armed Robbery: AsiaPac Century Star, Sanderson Bay, criminal detained and beaten by local community; handed to police; pistol recovered by police.
Human Rights violation: Police beat-up two youths at Middle-Town bush-area; youths employed at the time of Asiapac robbery by Top-Town resident, and quite innocent.
12th Armed Robbery: Alotau Tyre Service, 0300 approximate.
17th Human Rights violation: at 8.30pm , a Police vehicle was some 100 meters near 9906 Bishop Block, when Milne Bay Estates vehicle, LO24 turn right heading towards Waigani. The police followed and stopped the truck ( LO24), pulled the driver out of the truck, and punched him on his face. It is thought that the police alleged that the vehicle had not given-way, when drawing out onto the main road. The LO24 driver, named, was badly punched by a Policeman (named) from Alotau Police Station at the main entrance where the sign board is. LO24 was doing the labour-run to Waigani, when the Police stopped him . The LO24 driver had a swollen eye which was attended to. Witnesses suspected that all the police were drunk. This is the third incident known to MBE staff, in which a (named) Alotau police member punched Milne Bay Estates drivers, for not giving -way along the Main highway.
27th Armed Robbery Napatana Lodge: 0100 approximate five masked youths, with guns, arrived through the back way and held a gun to the head of the guards. They stole a portable security light. The guards followed the criminals to the Abau Compound. Police failed to make a search, or make arrests. Eye-witnesses saw the young thugs carrying Max's (Alotau Hardware) lawn-mower, that they had stolen, into the compound.
Napatana Lodge owners alleged a few weeks back the same group stole a TV, and some towels from Napatana.
Reports to the police go unwritten in the occurrence book.
Armed robbery: Span Enterprises, Salamo, Ferguson Island, late November, large amount of cash stolen, by men from Molima. Salamo villagers attack fleeing robbers with sling-shots, and break the arm of a robber. Police investigate, but robbers run away into the hinterland.
December
Police emergency numbers in the PNG Telephone Directory 2006, p1. 641 1222/641 1253 do not respond.
1st Armed Robbery: Alotau Enterprises, payroll. Guns used and shots fired.
3rd Armed Robbery: Bayviews Guesthouse :. A large group of young men, late Sunday afternoon, armed with crow-bars, walked in, with threats & menaces, and stole a radio from a vehicle. Bayviews staff ran inside and locked themselves in.
Armed attack: date unknown, by Molima criminals, on villages near Salamo, Ferguson Island, in revenge for the attack on criminals involved in the November robbery of Span Enterprises, Salamo.
13th Armed Robbery: Coecon, South Pacific Timber Exports, Wednesday, early morning payroll.
15th Armed Robbery: Tawali Resort, East Cape, Friday evening at staff member attacked by an escapee from Gulf Province, and local youth, with a knife and a bush knife, and would have been killed had she not fallen in flight. Police were slow to come round (no vehicle, no staff, no fuel, the usual excuses) so manager affected a search and made arrests, had to lock them up himself.
16th Assault: Tourist at Napatana, coming home from the Jetty on Saturday night, attacked by youths at Cameron Bridge. Tourist had a knife, and defended himself.
17th Break & Enter, assault: Napatana staff member, who lives at KB, assaulted by an unknown drunk in her own house. She had a swollen-face. She did not know who he was. She had never seen him before. Alotau has no retail liquor-sales Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So where did he get the drink on a Sunday?
18th Armed Robbery 0945, Gloria Warren, Golonai, Kedus, trade-store, armed robbery by Steven Tabogani, an escapee from Giligili. Criminals were armed, and told driver to get out of the car. Driver was about to drive the takings down to the bank. They drove the car towards Ahioma with a youth from Nigila who lives in Garuboi Street. D & D Douglas , Delia's shop on Garuboi Street, had a fight with these youths recently. They terrorize the place.
Police mobile squad elements arrive from Port Moresby to crack-down on crime.
19th Assault (attempt) woman walking from Top-town to Middle-town harassed by man, who ran-off, when vehicle approached.
Human rights violations: unconfirmed reports that PMV passengers bashed by police at road-blocks for "over-loading".
20th Human Rights violation: police, at a road-block, beat-up Mr. Brian Pulasi, MP, the Honourable Member for Kiriwina-Goodenough (source Governor Neville)
24th Police vehicle damaged while on patrol in the hospital area. 2 or 3 persons injured. One person died.
General comments for December 2006:
Police ineffective: Things are pretty bad these days, and the police did very little, until the mobile squad arrived at the end of the month. Road-blocks set-up; increased vehicle patrols over holiday period; some foot-patrols seen in town area. Increase in police human rights violations.
Governor has taken steps to have senior police transferred out of province.
Illegal liquor: Steam/JJ/ home-brew is booming. There are stills at Mutuyewa, There have recently been "steam wars" between KB and Mutuyewa youths.
Street-crime general street crime problem; Cheongs Supermarket workers are frequently attacked in their houses, by the Sanderson Bay squatters.
