Stolen items retrieved and returned to Brian Bell Group’s warehouse in Gerehu by police and Defence Force personnel will not be put back on the shelves for sale.
Brian Bell Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Cameron Mackellar confirms this. He says the Group has full inventory knowledge of what was in their warehouse prior to it being stolen and then burnt to the ground.
“Those responsible we hope are being pursued by the police, there is so much footage available on social media showing hundreds of people stealing all of the product,” Mackellar said.
The CEO clarifies that although stolen products have been returned or retrieved by police and others out of guilt. None of it will go on the shelves of their stores.
“All product that were stolen are either damaged or not in perfect condition and not for resale.”
“We have no warehouse now at Gerehu, so anything being taken back to that site has been left out in the rain with no cover or protection. It is all out of its original packaging and exposed to the natural elements. Returning products to Gerehu creates added complexity for us. The site is completely unsafe and unstable,” Mackellar reminded.
The Brian Bell Group is not encouraging returns to Gerehu.
“Any electrical produced returned will likely be disposed of as there is no way we can ensure it's safe to use. Most items would have been exposed to rain and water damage.
“Any property that's is returned will likely be donated to charities in due course. We will work through that solution shortly.”
The CEO reiterated that the organization’s immediate focus is for their team, and resuming normal operations in every other part of their business.
Meantime, in a press statement on Saturday, ACP Anthony Wagambie Jnr stated that NCD police supported by Mobile Squads and the PNG Defence Force have commenced operations with two main objectives.
The first is for authorities to restore a sense of security and confidence for the people and businesses.
“Some shops and service stations opened for business on Friday after we contacted them on Thursday afternoon and gave them assurance that police and the military would provide security.
“More businesses have opened for operations as of this morning (Saturday), and we hope to see everything return to normal by next week.”
The second phase of operation is to retrieve stolen properties.