Officers of EODD undergo a week long training delivered by Japan Ministry of Defence

Officers of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Department (EODD) of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) have commence their weeklong training on 23 January 2024 at Hells Point.

The training is delivered by four instructors from the Japan Ministry of Defence, which was made possible through the bilateral collaboration project.

Assistant Commissioner (AC) National Operation (NO) Evelyn Thugea in her remarks during the official opening of the program, thank and acknowledged the Japanese Embassy and staffs for the tremendous efforts in coordinating the training with the government and RSIPF.

She said, “We are grateful to have your team here to deliver this training to EODD officers for the first time. This training will educate officers on the Japanese ordnances from World War II found in Solomon Islands.

AC Thugea encouraged EOD students to make best use of the training opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills. Please use this week to learn, ask questions and importantly, develop and foster the partnership and friendship with our Japanese friends.”

“I acknowledge the ongoing support from Japan over the past years. The support has included logistics, machinery and training products for the RSIPF EODD Team. This has allowed the EODD teams to conduct daily operations,” says Thugea.

Director of Indo-Pacific Regional Policy Division Mr. Ashizuka Osamu in his remarks says, “Eight members of RSIPF EODD will be provided with technical support related to ammunition information of former Japanese imperial army as well as ways to enlighten citizens.”

Director Osamu says, “We believe our instructors can give you appropriate responses to your questions during this project. I hope you will actively engage with their presentations and make this project interactive.”

“Actually, we should be able to learn from each other. This project should contribute to increased safety of your duty and lead to enhanced safety of Solomon Islanders by decreasing incidents caused by UXOs,” says Mr. Osamu.