SI-PNG POLICE DEAL

RSIPF & RPNGC sign cooperation MOU

 

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to govern future cooperation between the two police forces.

RSIPF Commissioner Matthew Varley and the RPNGC Commissioner, Gari Baki signed the MoU during a ceremony at the Rove Police Headquarters in Honiara following a bilateral discussion between the two commissioners.

The MoU sets out the framework between the parties in relation to cooperation on law enforcement issues and the exchange of information between the two police forces.

Commissioners Baki and Varley display copies of the MoU. Photo by Police Media.

Areas of cooperation that both parties will be focus on includes: Joint or coordinated operations; Training; Secondment or exchange of personnel; Community policing; Border security; Transnational crime; Investigation; Prosecution; and Any other areas of shared priorities and common interest as may be agreed to by the two.

RSIPF Police Commissioner Matthew Varley praises the MOU as a symbolic step forward between the two forces.

He explains that in the modern age cooperation between two police forces is absolutely central to national security for both domestically and regionally.

RPNGC Commissioner Baki and RSIPF Commissioner Varley sign the MoU

“We both agreed today that much more that can be done to step up our cooperation to look for ways to share skills, to share training and to share our abilities and basically to target our common enemy of crime between us,” Mr Varley said.

Varley said Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have shared a special bond for many years in history across Melanesia and through the RAMSI programme.

“It’s a great honour one year on Commissioner from RAMSI June 30 last year was the end of RAMSI and you were here on the June 4, 2018 so one year on so it’s our chance to say thank you to you for the contribution, support you might made and your officers made to help re-build the new RSIPF but more importantly it’s our opportunity and privilege to help out your police force where we can and we know that today we show that with some of the trainings that RSIPF is already providing to RPNGC officers particularly on Operation Safety Tactics and Firearm training

Commissioner Gari Baki inspects parade by RSIPF officers. Photo by Police Media.

“This MOU is very important for us as we said it’s the first MOU for RSIPF with one our MSG partners and we are very grateful to your leadership and for your commitment making sure this came about today,” Varley said.

Meanwhile RPNGC Police Commissioner Gari Baki said it is a great opportunity particularly within the MSG countries and police forces within the MSG that they have a guiding principle documented that at some stage will allow them to interacting with policing responsibilities and relationship.

“I’m happy as the Commissioner for the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary to be able to sign the MOU today with the RSIPF it’s something we wanted to achieve long time ago but it’s taken us long and we said the fact that the RSIPF has been going through reformation through RAMSI and now it’s able to stand on its own feet on what they have to do”, Commissioner Baki said.

He also said MOU will also cater in exchanging of their experiences in both countries in allowing those from RPNGC and RSIPF be attached to both countries to experience and expose and also broaden their in terms of policing.

RPNGC officers at the Rove Parade. Photo by Police Media
Brief visit to RSIPF Forensic laboratory. Photo by Police Media

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