Burns Creek Leaders Pledge to Support RSIPF in Crime Prevention

Chief of Burns Creek community in East Honiara, John Seti Iromea, has pledged that he and other leaders in their community will work closely with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) to combat crimes in their community.

Chief Iromea, a former Councilor of the Honiara City Council (HCC), said their elders and majority of their resident desire positive change and the establishment of effective by-laws to maintain order in their community.

“We will work closely with the RSIPF to fight criminal activities in our community. There is no room for such activities in our community.

We want to clean-up our community and deal with those who engaged in criminal activities,” Chief Iromea said.

He thanked the RSIPF for responding swiftly to a call made by a member of their community recently that resulted in a number of arrests.

“Our community will continue to do its best to protect our people from crime. To those engaging in criminal activities, you better stop now because the community and police are united to address criminal activities,” chief Iromea warned.

He said there are development programs that have shown interest in entering Burns Creek but have been hindered by previous unlawful behaviours in their community.

The Burns Creek leader assured that the situation in their community has improved and they are committed to maintaining law and order.

“We want our community to be a safe place, even though we are still managing few challenges,” chief Iromea said.

He made these statements while attending a recent ‘RSIPF Frontline Review Workshop’ at the National Traffic Centre. Chief Iromea was among chiefs and community representatives from over 15 communities represented in the workshop.

The two-day workshop, which was supported by the RSIPF & AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP), focused on strengthening and improving frontline policing strategies.

During the workshop opening, RSIPF Deputy Commissioner, Juanita Matanga, said preventing crime requires collective action from all.

“I am pleased to see police and community leaders coming together to discuss ways to keep communities safe. Everyone wants to live in a peaceful environment and this can only be achieved through unity and collaboration,” Deputy Commissioner Matanga said.

She also thanked RAPPP for supporting the initiative and acknowledged the RSIPF’s commitment to improving frontline operations.

RSIPF Assistant Commissioner for National Capital and Crime Prevention, Simpson Pogeava, said the RSIPF is committed to enhance its frontline policing approach and strengthening community partnerships to ensure public safety.

The workshop provides an opportunity for the RSIPF to use hotspot intelligence to develop strategies that address emerging issues effectively and allocate policing resources to problem areas.

Assistant Commissioner Pogeava said the RSIPF goal is to promote safety in communities through proactive engagement with community leaders and strategic crime prevention measures.