Commissioner Peter Marshall has reinforced New Zealand Police's commitment to developing the on-going capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).
Commissioner Marshall is in Honiara to mark the 10th anniversary of the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI) operation.
He is a member of an official New Zealand government delegation led by the Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key. The delegation also includes Police Minister Anne Tolley, Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman, Revenue Minister Todd McClay and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples.
"For the last decade we have worked with our regional partners to restore and rebuild law and order in the Solomon Islands", Commissioner Marshall said.
"Gradually that support has shifted from building capacity within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force to increasing the capability of the local force."
Commissioner Marshall has an intimate knowledge of policing in the Solomon Islands. He was seconded to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in February 2007 as Deputy Commissioner and appointed Commissioner of the RSIPF in March 2009.
"We have made great progress," Commissioner Marshall said. "But it is vitally important we continue to support the capacity and capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force to ensure law and order is maintained as the country grows and develops."
In 2003 the Solomon Islands government called for international assistance to eliminate corruption from its public institutions and help rebuild the country's social and economic infrastructure.
Since 2005 the focus of the Participating Police Force (PPF) in the Solomon Islands has been to develop greater policing capacity within the local force.
Currently 17 New Zealand Police officers serve in the Melanesian island nation as part of the international policing unit. They work alongside staff from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia and Vanuatu.
New Zealand personnel have a hands-on role in the development of the Solomon Islands force mentoring their peers in a range of areas including the provision of community policing, family violence prevention, diplomatic protection, crowd control and the development of traffic management systems.
'I am immensely proud of the work we have done in the Solomon Islands over the last decade," Commissioner Marshall said.
"The co-operative model employed by the Participating Police Force has both empowered the Royal Solomon's Islands Police Force and strengthened bonds within the Pacific policing community."
"We look forward to continuing this invaluable work which is vital to building a strong and prosperous future in the Solomon Islands."
ENDS
For more information contact Kevin Sinnott at New Zealand Police Media on +64 277050341