RSIPF warns people of Illegal crossing at the SI-PNG border

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) strongly appeals to our people in the common border region from the Shortland Islands and Choiseul to refrain from illegal crossing at the border between the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (SI-PNG) during the State of Public Emergency.

The call has been made after police at the border and other Agencies attended to a report of Illegal crossing from Bougainville to our side of the border by our Nationals who were been stranded in Bougainville after the SI-PNG border closed from these global crises COVID-19 on 14 August 2021.

Commissioner of Police Mostyn Mangau says, “The Nationals were escorted by police and medical authority to Nila Health Center after they were sighted at Bakuluai Island, outside of Harapa police post. Nationals including two females, one male and three children.”

Commissioner Mangau says, “Let us all work together to enforce illegal crossing declared by our Government under the State of Public Emergency. Despite the restrictive nature of these orders on our normal lives and our Traditional blood ties, we must understand that we are not living under normal times. Our lives are endangered by the killer COVID-19.”

“The RSIPF and other law enforcement agencies keep securing the border region from the Shortland Islands, Choiseul Province and Malaita Outer Island (MOI) to enforce the COVID-19 Emergency Order restricting the movement of small craft vessels across the borders.”

“I appeal to communities at the Western border and the Malaita Outer Islands to report any sightings of any boats crossing from Solomon Islands side of the border or coming in from the PNG side to your nearest police station or call the RSIPF National Communication Centre on the toll free line 999. Together with our Government we must stop this killer virus from entering our borders,” says Commissioner Mangau.