The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) through its National Community Policing Department has conducted crime prevention outreach meetings in communities in and around Honiara as part of its operation to maintain law and order under the current political situation.
This includes communities in the Sun Valley and Lungga areas, Burns Creek, Papaho, Choviri, Mbokonavera and Kaibia.
Speaking during the outreach meetings, Director of the National Community Policing Department, Superintendent Solomon Sisimia highlighted several key messages encouraging people in the communities to remain calm and continue to observe law and order as the country looks to the national politicians to resolve the current political situation.
The messages include:
• Encouraging citizens as well as visitors to be responsible in whatever they do within their communities as well as moving around in the city to ensure what happened during political situations in the past does not happen again;
• The RSIPF continues to mount a high level operation and will not tolerate any anti-social behavior, any illegal activity or any threats of violence that would impact on the safety of our citizens or the safety of our politicians and derail the political process underway to elect a new prime minister this week.
• Members of the public both in Honiara and throughout the provinces are encouraged to remain calm and go about their normal business as usual and to allow our national politicians to resolve the situation in parliament through the democratic process as required by law.
• Anyone who have information on anybody who might be planning to disturb the peace to contact their nearest police station or call the police emergency toll free number 999 or 23666 Police Communication Centre in Honiara.
During the meeting with chiefs at the Burns Creek Community in East Honiara, Chief Peter Usi said, “I am pleased with the police campaign and as a local chief of the community, I believe the messages are clear and I urge all my community members to be responsible and help our police with any information of interest to them.”
Another a local chief for the Kwaio speaking people at Aibala Community, in the Burns Creek area said: “I appeal to all local chiefs of various communities in Honiara City and around the city to advise members of their not to be involved in any criminal activities and especially when our members of parliament are going to elect a new Prime Minister..”
Another elder from the Burns Creek area told the police at the meeting that, “We the community members are your eyes and ears here in the communities. We must report crime and pass on any information about any individual or group planning to disturb the peace as we await our national politicians to election a new prime minister.”
Supervising Assistant Commissioner Police, National Capital and Crime Prevention, Patricia Leta told the meeting: “I am pleased with the positive statements made by leaders during the meeting pledging to assist the police as it performs its duty to protect citizens of this country under the current political situation. We do not want what happened in the past during similar situations to happen again. Our country must now move forward and this can only happen if members of our communities assist police do its work.”
Police will continue to visit other communities in and around Honiara in the coming days to send out the some messages.