We woke up yesterday to find that the "raskols" had cut a large hole in the perimeter security fence and broken into the out-building behind our house. The owner had locked it up (to keep us honest folks out) so we had no idea what its purpose was or what condition the inside was like.
Now we know 'cause we no longer needed a key. The building was part game room and mostly a tool shop.
The thieves had pried away the arc-mesh grid that had been firmly attached over one of the windows, cut the bug screen, and then removed a couple of glass panes, enough to crawl inside. After they "tossed" the place, taking about 8 hand power tools (learned after getting feedback via email from the owner), they unlocked the deadbolt lock on the main door and walked out. They left behind some mounted power tools (table saw, table sander, grinder) as well as hand tools and wrenches.
They then tackled the door to an attached storage shed, cutting away some of the bracket for the sliding bolt, causing the bolt to just fall away, the lock still locked to the bolt. This shed had just household "stuff" that was of no interest to the raskols, though that didn't stop them from leaving contents of plastic bins laying on the floor.
So, I submitted a "security incident" report to the Center Security officer, Caleb, who then had me complete and sign a PNG police report, along with estimated value of the items stolen. Caleb arranged with the Construction team to repair/replace the locks and wire mesh over the window so that the building is "secure" again and they will repair the perimeter fence today.
What's interesting is that all the power tools were US-style (110V) plugs and not the Australian-style (220V) plugs so what are the raskols gonna do with them?
We hear that items like laptops, which cost hundreds of $$ (and more) sell on the black market for $30. The money may then be used for alcohol, which doesn't last very long. The raskols keep coming back to us "rich" missionaries to get more.
The local nationals are very angry about situations like this. Missionaries aren't happy either. We feel like targets, just waiting for our turn. What's more, the SIL insurance program has just reclassified Ukarumpa as a high risk area. That means that members who previously had a loss would have paid a 2% deductible for the claim (insurance covering the rest). With this change, missionaries now have to pay a 33% deductible.
Do we personally feel secure? Generally, yes. Fortunately, the house has a beefed up security system, we're alert, and prepared to set off alarms if the occasion arises. We don't have many valuables and items like our laptops and cameras are stored each night in a place we believe would not be found with the little time raskols spend in a house. Julie has an escort walking around the Center when appropriate.
Do we feel secure? Situations like this and testimonies of missionaries here who end up in very tense situations help us focus on the fact that our trust is ultimatly in the Lord.
Pray for wisdom for us and the security people here. Pray for safety for all of us. (Raskols shot arrows at some guards one night last week when they were discovered.)
Oh, did I forget to mention the 5.5 earthquake (centered ~60 miles from here) Sunday night at 9 PM?
Shalom.
.
Now we know 'cause we no longer needed a key. The building was part game room and mostly a tool shop.
The thieves had pried away the arc-mesh grid that had been firmly attached over one of the windows, cut the bug screen, and then removed a couple of glass panes, enough to crawl inside. After they "tossed" the place, taking about 8 hand power tools (learned after getting feedback via email from the owner), they unlocked the deadbolt lock on the main door and walked out. They left behind some mounted power tools (table saw, table sander, grinder) as well as hand tools and wrenches.
They then tackled the door to an attached storage shed, cutting away some of the bracket for the sliding bolt, causing the bolt to just fall away, the lock still locked to the bolt. This shed had just household "stuff" that was of no interest to the raskols, though that didn't stop them from leaving contents of plastic bins laying on the floor.
So, I submitted a "security incident" report to the Center Security officer, Caleb, who then had me complete and sign a PNG police report, along with estimated value of the items stolen. Caleb arranged with the Construction team to repair/replace the locks and wire mesh over the window so that the building is "secure" again and they will repair the perimeter fence today.
What's interesting is that all the power tools were US-style (110V) plugs and not the Australian-style (220V) plugs so what are the raskols gonna do with them?
We hear that items like laptops, which cost hundreds of $$ (and more) sell on the black market for $30. The money may then be used for alcohol, which doesn't last very long. The raskols keep coming back to us "rich" missionaries to get more.
The local nationals are very angry about situations like this. Missionaries aren't happy either. We feel like targets, just waiting for our turn. What's more, the SIL insurance program has just reclassified Ukarumpa as a high risk area. That means that members who previously had a loss would have paid a 2% deductible for the claim (insurance covering the rest). With this change, missionaries now have to pay a 33% deductible.
Do we personally feel secure? Generally, yes. Fortunately, the house has a beefed up security system, we're alert, and prepared to set off alarms if the occasion arises. We don't have many valuables and items like our laptops and cameras are stored each night in a place we believe would not be found with the little time raskols spend in a house. Julie has an escort walking around the Center when appropriate.
Do we feel secure? Situations like this and testimonies of missionaries here who end up in very tense situations help us focus on the fact that our trust is ultimatly in the Lord.
Pray for wisdom for us and the security people here. Pray for safety for all of us. (Raskols shot arrows at some guards one night last week when they were discovered.)
Oh, did I forget to mention the 5.5 earthquake (centered ~60 miles from here) Sunday night at 9 PM?
Shalom.
.
Comments
It's Kim Vail. I was thrilled to receive your newsletter on my e-mail today as I had no idea the website for your blog. Now I can keep up with you and Jon. I really miss seeing you in choir.
I'm looking forward to reading your newsletter and seeing all your blog posts.
Miss you!