Burning stalls at the Kennedy Estate, Port Moresby Photo: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary
Papua New Guinea police are removing illegal markets, saying they open the door for opportunistic crime.
Stalls at one such market were set on fire but it is not known who torched them.
The National Capital District Metropolitan Superintendent, Silva Sika, said the goal is to make the district a clean and crime-free city.
He called on the public to respect the police officers by selling their products only at designated market locations.
Sika said police will continue to remove illegal markets because not only are they an eyesore, but are also avenues for illegal activities, such as the sale of home brew and illicit drugs.
He also said they tend to allow for opportunistic crimes to take place.
Sika said while he acknowledges people are struggling to make ends meet in the city, the onus is on them to do their business in the right place at the right time.
He added that one of the markets that was identified as an illegal market and area for crime was at the entrance into Kennedy Estate.
On Tuesday a combined team from the NCDC Reservist Unit and the NCD Command closed the market.
Burning stalls at the Kennedy Estate, Port Moresby Photo: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary
A just-closed market at Kennedy Estate, Port Moresby Photo: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary