Communities in West Honiara benefit from Crime Prevention Strategy workshop

Representatives of communities in West Honiara are attending a two-day workshop on the Crime Prevention Strategy organised by the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) at the Rove Police Headquarters 14 to 15 January 2020.

More than 30 participants including male and female leaders of some communities in West Honiara are attending the workshop.

Speaking during the opening of the Workshop today Supervising Assistant Commissioner (AC) Police, National Capital and Crime Prevention Chief Superintendent Alfred Uiga says, “The training marks another milestone in preparing our leaders to take up challenges in their communities to ensure people respect each other, the properties and the law in Solomon Islands for the betterment and wellbeing of our young generation.”

“To become a leader is not easy. It requires considerable judgment to make good decisions in any given situation."

AC Uiga says, "The crime rate in Honiara city has increased rapidly over the past years and police are faced with many challenges in the area of law and order. These challenges also affected village chiefs over the past decade forcing them to operate independently from each other with uncertainties in relation to their duties and responsibilities.”

The aim of the training is to:
• Create a better working relationship and partnership with the community;
• Work in collaboration with other stakeholders through community engagement approach to prevention that underpinned by respecting and valuing our custom and culture which has always been the core aspect of policing through involvement in mediation and reconciliation activities throughout Solomon Islands.
• Allow and respect the traditional reinforcement of the key roles of leaders in the communities, church leaders and the traditional role of chiefs in crime prevention activities and the importance of family and wantok relationship.
• Strengthen the responsibilities of chiefs, church leaders and community leaders in working together to problem solving issues that cause crime
• Give participants the ability to spread the message across the communities and nation when identifying developing conflicts.

AC Uiga adds: "I want to urge participants to constantly demonstrate their knowledge and skills gained from the training by applying proper procedure to serve your community faithfully without favour, and become role models."