The Madang Police command is moving to boost manpower in the small township of Bogia following increasing reports of a gun trade.
Police report that the Highlands bound weapons fetch up to K20,000.00 a piece.
Two weeks ago, Madang police intercepted a small cache of US made weapons bound for the Southern Highlands raising new concerns of public safety.
These are the weapons confiscated from a group of gun smugglers who were bound for the highlands.
They include US military weapons, as well as homemade guns found during raids in Bogia. The smugglers have been arrested and charged.
But it is the trend of weapons smuggling that has the understaffed Madang police service very worried.
The weapons trade, in this region, typically begins along the PNG-Indonesia ‘Order. It is a weak link in Papua New Guinea’s overall national security.
The ‘Order is guarded by a company of PNG defense force solders who are under resourced and underfunded.
From the ‘Order the weapons are brought through the east Sepik then onwards to Bogia as a transit point.
The coastal township is a strategic point for police. It’s here that a lot of the guns come through undetected by sea and road. Currently, the police are placing emphasis on police accommodation. They expect to boost police numbers in Bogia so that this region is closely watched.
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