Commissioner of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Matthew Varley is in Vanuatu this week as a guest speaker at the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) Senior Leadership Seminar.
During Commissioner Varley’s visit to Port Vila, he is also conducting a number of consultations with VPF Commissioner Albert Nalpini on how to expand police cooperation on joint operations and training between the two forces. The pair will also sign a new Memorandum of Understanding on Police Cooperation to cement the partnership between RSIPF and VPF.
In recognition of the close partnership between the RSIPF and VPF, Commissioner Varley was invited by VPF Commissioner Nalpini to share experiences and lessons about leadership in policing in Solomon Islands. The VPF is also holding two days of Assessment Development Centre exercises for aspiring VPF officers who are under consideration for promotion to senior ranks.
According to Commissioner Varley, the RSIPF and VPF are facing many similar challenges.
“The RSIPF and VPF are already close partners and as neighbours, it’s essential that we strengthen the links between our two police forces. I’ve seen that the VPF is quite similar to the RSIPF in terms of issues such as crime trends, operational capacity and resource and logistic challenges. It’s a privilege to share some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way in the RSIPF’s development.”
“It’s also another example that RSIPF is seen as a major player on the regional policing stage. We’ve come a long way in the past year after the end of RAMSI and I’m really proud that other pacific police forces are continuing to seek out our expertise to assist them in looking at their own challenges. The RSIPF is always ready to help out our partners in law enforcement around the region,” added Commissioner Varley.