More ‘house of chiefs’ needed across the Solomons: former MP

A village meeting of chiefs in Central Guadalcanal

A former Member of Parliament has called for more government support and funding for “house of chiefs” in the country.

Stephen Paeni, former Member of Parliament for North East Guadalcanal, said since the government and police had limited presence in many rural areas they should consider setting aside funds to support the work of chiefs at the community level.

Mr Paeni said most house of chiefs in the country were inactive due to a lack of support.

He said many criminal offences could be dealt with by chiefs, and that could reduce the burden on police officers.

Mr Paeni added, a well-funded house of chiefs could curb crime in rural areas.

SIBC News understands the police force last year rolled out its crime prevention strategy for 2016 to 2018, which involves village leaders in crime prevention in rural areas.

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