Police in the nation’s capital Port Moresby are currently on the road cracking down on public transport operators who continue to defy the basic traffic road rules and, putting the lives of the public at risk. The National Capital District (NCD) Metropolitan Superintendent Silva Sika said the road rules are the laws of the land and as such, must not be broken. He said Public Motor Vehicles (PMV) and taxis commonly break road rules and most of the time they get away with it, but this won’t be the case from now on because breaches to vehicle registrations will be dealt with seriously, buses and taxis that are not roadworthy will be impounded and PMVs that disregard other road users, will face the full arm of the law. Mr. Sika informed public transport owners and operators this week that the police operation will involve its stakeholders like Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited (MVIL), Road Traffic Authority (RTA), and National Capital District Commission (NCDC). “My interest is to make sure that safety is guaranteed, my officers are going to move around in the city,” Sika told the public transport operators. “The rule of law must be upheld, no one must give an excuse here, you should know the law. I am challenging you here because you hold the life of a person in your hands when you are driving the PMV or taxi.” “You must respect the rule of law and other road users,” he further stressed. Mr. Sika said he understands that PMVs and taxis also need to make money to pay off loans and other financial obligations; therefore, he urged the operators and the owners to cooperate with police and its stakeholders to ensure buses and taxis are good to be on the road, and that basic road rules followed through. He also urged the PMV and taxi owners to talk to their drivers to obey the rule of law every time they are on the road making money from transporting the public because whenever a PMV or a taxi is booked by police or the Road Traffic Authority, then the owners stand to lose a lot from it when their vehicles are impounded, or the driver’s license suspended. When it comes to making money, Mr. Sika simply said that it is in the best interest of public transport operators and the owners to follow the rule of law. Meanwhile, police officers have been busy since Monday this week on the roads in Port Moresby and some have been seen pulling over PMVs and taxis that have broken traffic rules. This exercise will continue throughout the year. Mr. Sika concluded by saying that the government can do so much to try to change this country for the better, but it all comes back to the people to make the change a reality, and that starts with following the laws of the land.