RSIPF NEEDS ARMED CAPABILITY TO ENFORCE THE LAW

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force needs to restore its armed capability to effectively enforce the law and support its operations, says the Acting Police Commissioner, Juanita Matanga.

The Acting Police Commissioner made the statement at a workshop for the Media on the Limited Rearmament of the RSIPF, held in Honiara yesterday.

The workshop wanted to explain the concept to journalists as a stakeholder in the implementation of the limited re-armament program, to ensure proper and informed media coverage of the program.

In a presentation on why the RSIPF should be re-armed, the Acting Police Commissioner explained the Police Force is a legal body to ensure that the country’s security is maintained.

“It means that RSIPF is obliged under the laws, that we must enforce laws that safeguard the citizens of its country and also to enure that our RSIPF has that capability to enforce the laws where ever necessary”.

Commissioner Matanga also explained, criminal behaviour in the country has changed to a new level.

“Criminals behave totally differently, so we must prepare the police force to deal with such situations, because once we do not prepare the force which is mandated to deal with this, then we are allowing our communities and people be vulnerable to these threats”.

Meanwhile, the Acting Police Commissioner says, the priority of rearmament is not to use arms, but to have the armed capability available to support police operations.

The Government has identified three units within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force to be rearmed.

They are the Airport Police, the Police Response Team, and the Close Protection Unit.