Police raid Port Moresby nightclub for defying liquor ban

Asian owned night club raided by Police. Image: Post Courier/Getty

A popular Asian owned night club in Port Moresby was raided by police this morning for operating and selling liquor after the allocated trading hours for night clubs during the liquor ban.Other small liquor shops selling beer were also raided and their contents confiscated.

Assistance Commissioner and Divisional Commander for NCD and Central Jim Andrews  confirmed that the night club had disobeyed directions and continued to operate illegally.

Police were compelled to raid the night club when they approached a lot of intoxicated party goers that congregated outside the night club.

Most of them openly consu-med alcohol despite the alcohol ban in the city for the New Year period.

That forced police to use minimal force to disperse the crowd from the front entrance and made their way into the night club to confiscate the liquor that were sold at the club.  Police also reported a fatal car accident near the Paga Hill resulting in one death.

NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Andy Bawa yesterday confirmed the incident.  Mr Bawa said the lone driver took the vehicle of another person and headed towards Paga Hill at around 8am yesterday when he got into the accident and lost his life.

"That was the only major incident apart from other minor disturbances caused due to drunken brawl between youths in one or two areas which police units were able to respond to quickly," Mr Bawa said.

He said he was happy that the operations were carried out smoothly from the Christmas eve through to the New Year with minimal disturbances.

Mr Bawa has commended the policemen and women for working hard to ensure peace and order was maintained.