Police in Kimbe town in West New Britain province have urged the general public to refrain from movement outside of their homes following a confrontation with armed assailants this morning at the BNBM Hardware store.
Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Superintendent Peter Barkie, has sent out a message urging the people of Kimbe to stay indoors as police anticipate a retaliation from the armed assailants.
Our PNG HAUSBUNG correspondent on the ground has confirmed that the movement in and out of town has been slowed down and police are monitoring the situation closely.
The PPC and senior officials of the Provincial Administration have convened a briefing on how they wish to go about in addressing this issue.
The high alert in Kimbe came about this morning after police successfully thwarted robbery attempts on a few business houses by unknown armed assailants.
Meanwhile, Correctional Services (CS) officers have been stationed at the Kimbe General Hospital Morgue layout with a name list of the deceased prisoners shot over the weekend after trying to escape from the Lakiemata CS facility.
The CS has called on family members of the deceased to come forward and identify them.