BY INDY MAEALASIA
The Solomon Islands government has set a target to significantly strengthen the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) over the next decade with support from Australia.
Addressing the media upon his return from Australia over the weekend, Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele expressed gratitude for the positive response from the Australian Government.
“I thank the Australian Prime Minister and his government for his commitment to help grow the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force. And we have agreed that our respective ministers and officials will further explore these” he said.
Highlighting that the force currently has 1,500 officers, with the support from Australia, the number of recruits in the next decade is projected to rise significantly.
“We are trying to grow the numbers to recruit. By 2028, we hope that we should have about 3000 police officers. By 2030 or 2032, we would like to have those numbers to 5000” he said.
Manele emphasized the critical importance of expanding the force, stating “going forward as a sovereign country, we should be able to look after ourselves”.
With current recruitment efforts falling short since the Regional Assistance to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) era, the government through the Ministry of Police, National Security and correctional Service is prioritizing the scale up of the force.
Given financial constraints, the Solomon Islands government is seeking external support, particularly from Australia, to support this ambitious target.
“We are asking Australia if they could fund the recruitment for the next 10 years. It’s a 10 years program and those details will be for the Ministry of Police and National Security to look at with Australia” he said.
During his visit, Manele visited the Federal Police Training Facilities in Brisbane and the Australian Border Forces headquarters in Canberra.
