RSIPF training for 2019 elections underway

Police preparations have been ongoing since May this year for the country’s National General Elections in 2019.

Solomon Islanders will go to the polls to decide their next group of political decision-makers by early next year.

With registrations now rolling across the country this week as lead up to the elections, Police are also working hard to ensure people go about their registration peacefully.

Speaking at his weekly media conference at the Rove Police Headquarters in Honiara yesterday, Police Commissioner Matthew Varley said preparations for next year’s elections are well underway.

“Almost a full year out we anticipate from the elections because that’s a big job to do and part of that is the ongoing training of police around the country in various refresher courses and training on skills that we need so for example at the moment we have our PRT officers out in the provinces conducting public order and management training with some of our provincial police that’s recently being conducted in Ren-bel province and also Central Islands province and I think at the moment this week they’re out in Isabel.”

He added, the training will equip Police officers with the knowledge and skill to deal effectively with any public order situation, saying a Provincial Police Commanders conference is also planned for next month.

“This is public order training to equip our officers with the knowledge and skill to appropriately deal with any public disorder incident should it arise in the future and so we’re currently working on that.

Also we’re working on what we call Command and Control training for our senior leaders and next month I’ll be bringing in all my provincial police commanders in early October to headquarters as we go through our PPC conference and look at our planning for the election.”

By: Rickson Bau