Naha Police and Communities Welcome the opening of O.K Haus

Naha Police Station and Naha communities in East Honiara welcomed the opening of their Leaf Hut (O.K Haus) recently.

On 22 September, members of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), Australian Federal Police (AFP), and chiefs and leaders from Naha were invited to witness the opening of the hut.

O.K Haus is situated inside the Naha Police Station compound and was constructed by a local builder with funding support from the RSIPF-AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP).

RSIPF’s East Zone Commander, Supt. Henry Adi, said the hut will serve as a place where police officers and members of the public can have a space to resolve issues.

“Settlement of issues need proper place. It’s also a cultural thing to have a decent place to mediate issues which is why the support from RAPPP is significant,” Commander Adi said.

He said the hut will also give Naha police officers a space for operational briefings and to take a break.

RAPPP Superintendent Adam McCormack who also witnessed the opening and said Naha Police Station leaf hut is another result of the ongoing RSIPF and AFP partnership.

Superintendent McCormack said communities are an important part of police work.

He said it is pleasing to see that the RSIPF and AFP partnership has achieved results that will benefit police officers and members of the communities they serve.

In 2022 RAPPP supported large scale renovation work on Naha Police Station which was extensively damaged in the November 2021 unrest. The program has also provided other resources such as computers and internet connectivity.

A representative of Naha chiefs said they requested a hut for Naha Police Station and they were very pleased that RAPPP were able to support this initiative.

The chief representative said with the opening of the hut, they now have a place in the police station where they can freely talk over issues of concern to their communities.

The chief representative said the completion and opening of the O.K Haus is a demonstration of the RSIPF’s willingness to work closely with their communities.

RAPPP has also supported other stations in the city to have their own leaf huts to allow police officers and members of the communities to interact and sort out any issue they might have.