Working in Partnership to provide Pastoral and Spiritual Care to the RSIPF and the community

Australia and Solomon Islands’ policing program, known as the Australian Federal Police (AFP)-Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP) 2021-2025, will deliver a Health and Wellbeing Program to support the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of RSIPF members.

Today, RSIPF officially welcomed the new RSIPF Pastoral Care Services member Melden Hall who joined the RAPPP team in early January 2022 during the initial COVID-19 outbreak where he readily commenced spiritual and pastoral support to RSIPF members and their families as they continued to deliver frontline services.

Members working in policing services across the world face many challenges and the provision of Pastoral Care Services to maintain healthy mental and spiritual wellbeing is an important service that the RAPPP is proud to support.

Deputy Commissioner Ian Vaevaso acknowledged his deep appreciation of the care and comfort Mr Hall has been providing to the RSIPF family and says the commencement of a RSIPF Pastoral Care Services fulfilled one of their long desires, as it will be an important aspect of the RSIPF.

“The ability to find solace through our faith and the power of prayer, is important as we perform our policing duties and could not have occurred at a better time as we face policing in a COVID-19 environment,” Deputy Commissioner Vaevaso says.

Mr Hall prayed for a safe and peaceful sitting of Parliament over the coming months and thanked the Solomon Islands community for the support toward the RSIPF.

SIAF AFP Commander Paul Osborne expressed his gratitude and admiration for Mr Halls’s dedication to commence duties by providing ongoing spiritual support and guidance in a time of such uncertainty at the beginning of the COVID-19 community outbreak.

“Policing is challenging and the AFP will continue to work in strong partnership to provide spiritual and pastoral care to all who need it during these challenging times,” Commander Osborne says.

The AFP provide Pastoral Care Services to its members and AFP Reverend Gayl Mills kindly donated bibles for the RAPPP program to commence the Services. Together with the RAPPP Advisory team and RSIPF, Mr. Melden will develop and deliver spiritual based engagement and support program across Solomon Islands as part of the RAPPP RSIPF Health and Wellbeing overarching program.