Police want tougher laws

A POLICE officer in East Sepik has called for tougher penalties on the brewing and consumption of homebrew.
Wewak police station commander Chief Sergeant James Baugen said the Parliament should pass tougher penalties such as 20 to 30-year jail terms – and not three to four months which was too lenient.
Baugen said homebrew caused a lot of problems in families and communities such as the increase in criminal activities.
“It is a big problem in Wewak as in all the provinces,” he said.
He said women too were into drinking homebrew and exposed themselves to assaults when under the influence of alcohol.
“Police are doing their job of arresting and charging but people are continuing to do that (produce and consume homebrew) because the penalties are not harsh,” he said.
He said offenders were not scared of re-offending because they knew the maximum sentence was too light.
“It is like a holiday to most – going to prison and enjoying the good sleep and food there,” he said.
Meantime, Wewak town and the surrounding areas enjoyed a quiet and peaceful New Year’s Day.