Supervising Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Malaita Province, Superintendent Timothy Apaesi welcomes the week-long Media Awareness Training which started at the Auki Police Station today (19 February 2018).
Fifteen participants including the Provincial Police Commander, Heads of Divisions and other senior officers are attending the training. Three female officers are also participating.
“I welcome this initiative by the RSIPF Media Unit to enable my senior officers to be aware of how we can use the media to assist us in our activities. The media and the police are serving the same people and so we should be partners in informing our people about activities carried out by the police in the province,” says PPC Apaesi.
Superintendent Apaesi adds: “I want to thank the Commissioner of Police, Matthew Varley for endorsing this training program and Commander of the Solomon Islands Police Development Program (SIPDP) John Tanti for funding the Program’s Media Advisor to implement the training program in Malaita Province as well as other provinces.”
During the training, from 19 – 23 February, participants will be briefed on the RSIPF Commissioner’s Order on Media, the RSIPF Media Strategy, expectations of the Media, how to draft a media release, interview techniques, photography, scripting of a radio program, dealing with media enquiries and developing relations with the media.
The Media Awareness Training is being coordinated by SIPDP as part of the strengthening of the capability of the RSIPF Media Unit to market the RSIPF with the aim of increasing the confidence of communities in the Force.
The Training, which started at the Gizo Police Station in Western Province early this month, will be conducted at other provincial police stations throughout the country including Honiara City within the coming months