POLICE Commissioner Mostyn Mangau was joined by other officials to visit the new Avu Avu and Aola police stations on Guadalcanal last Friday.
Among officials were Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification Bradley Tovosia; Minister and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services and the Commander of Solomon Islands Police Development Program (SIPDP).
A police statement said the team took the opportunity to inspect the police stations and monitor their progress towards completion.
“It also provided an opportunity to visit RSIPF officers manning those police stations and thanked the building contractors and local communities who have been working at the sites since March this year,” the statement said.
“The building projects are part of a larger SIPDP project that was also building a police station at Wagina in Choiseul province and police barracks at Tetere police station,” it added.
“The buildings have been designed by the SIPDP in consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development and the RSIPF.
“They have been constructed using local materials provided by local contractors and designed to be self-sufficient using solar power and on-site water storage.”
During the visit, Police minister Anthony Veke says the design of these buildings was impressive and the local materials being used will ensure these structures will last for a long period of time.
“With careful and regular maintenance, we can maintain an effective long term police presence in those communities,” Veke said.
Mangau said the police stations at Avu Avu and Aola and the police barracks at the Tetere police station will be completed in August this year and ready to support police operations.
The police station at Wagina is expected to be completed in September this year.
The SIPDP program intends to provide further infrastructure support to the RSIPF over the next four years, building more police stations and other specialist structures based upon a capability gap analysis, which has been undertaken in close consultation with the RSIPF and Ministry of Police National Security and Correctional Services.
