Aseki in Morobe’s Menyamya district is hoping to get a police station and village court this year.
Furthermore, its village court officials hope to be recognised and included in the system.
Since their swearing in ceremony in 2010, the village court magistrate of Aseki Station in the Nanima-Kariba Rural LLG, Pupus Yawa, said they have no facility to operate from and there is no police officer to assist in law and order.
“So far mi gat tenpla ofisas; faivpla pis ofisas na faivpla mejistreit na wanpla klak,” he stated. (So far I have 10 officers; five peace officers and five magistrates and one clerk.)
“Situation lo hia, law and order em breik daun. Na vilij kot em wanpla tasol ba sevim mipla bikos distrik kot em stap longwe tru.” (There is a breakdown in law and order here and only a village court can save us because the district court is too far away.)
Yawa estimates the Nanima-Kariba Rural LLG population to be about 17,000.
The main law and order issues there are the consumption of homebrew and drug abuse, which lead to social disorder. And with no police presence, the only method used by the peace officers is pre-mediation, which can only do so much. Yawas said even public servants live in fear.
“Nau em bikpla, bikpla disteb save kamap lo hia na ol pablik sevents save stap lo fia,” Yawa stated. “Ol sa poret na stap bikos ol i lusim ples lo kam sevim ol pipol blong Nanima-Kariba insait lo Menyamya distrik.” (There is currently a huge disturbance and the public servants live in fear. They are anxious because they have left their homes to come serve the people of Nanima-Kariba in Menyamya district.)
The only time the presence of the law is felt in the Nanima-Kariba LLG is when police officers from Menyamya station visit their remote community. The visits are not as regular as they should be considering the limited manpower, logistics and bad road conditions.
(Police officers from Menyamya station dealing with an intoxicated youth from Aseki)
