The Media Awareness Training held for officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) at Lata, Temotu Province from 23 – 27 April has been described as a ‘bonus’ for the participants during and after their time with the Force.
Ten officers serving at the Lata Police Station including three female officers attended the training.
Operations Manager at the Lata Police Station, Inspector Lily Dagi told the participants, “You should consider this Media Awareness Training as a bonus for you during your time in the RSIPF as well as when you go back into your communities after your time as a police officer.”
“You should consider yourself privileged to be selected to attend this Training as media is not a core policing functions but you are learning new skills that you will use to disseminate information about your activities in the Force and after you are back in your communities you will also use these same skills to inform people about what your communities are doing,” says Inspector Dagi.
Ops Manager Lata Police Station, Inspector Dagi says, “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, Johnson Honimae and RSIPF Media Officer, Constable Desmond Rave to travel all the way here to deliver this Training.”
During the Media Awareness Training participants were 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, dealing with media enquiries and developing relations with the media.
At the end of the Training participants produced several media releases covering reports of crime and other activities by the police in Temotu Province.
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 in February this year, has so far been held at the Auki, Kirakira, Buala and Taro Police Stations. It is expected to be held at all the other provincial centres including Honiara City by the end of May this year.