Developing the capacity of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force

The objective:     The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is fully capable of carrying out its mandated functions and has no need of a permanent RAMSI presence.

 

From the day it arrived in Solomon Islands, the RAMSI Participating Police Force has worked alongside the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force to build its long-term capacity to undertake its work effectively and independently.

The targets

The Solomon Islands Government and RAMSI agreed to the following targets for RAMSI’s development of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force:

  • The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is capable of independently carrying out its mandated functions of maintaining law and order and targeting corrupt conduct in Solomon Islands.
  • The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force has adequate logistics, communications and a budget to carry out its functions across the country’s vast and diverse archipelago.

To achieve these targets, RAMSI’s Participating Police Force focuses upon five components for development:

  1. Law and order: Assisting the RSIPF to maintain a safe and peaceful Solomon Islands.
  2. Build community confidence: Improve public demand for better rule of law outcomes across Solomon Islands, and support the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force to provide a secure Solomon Islands where crime and violence are managed by police and the justice system in an accountable way.
  3. Improve the RSIPF organisation: Build the foundations of an effective, accountable and appropriate police service for the people of Solomon Islands.
  4. Safeguard borders and natural resources: Assist the RSIPF and other relevant authorities to develop capacity to safeguard the borders and natural resources of Solomon Islands.
  5. Support traditional justice: Establish and provide support for traditional justice processes which maintain order and accountability in inaccessible areas of Solomon Islands.
     

RAMSI’s work

RAMSI’s work to build the capacity of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force covers the following four areas:

  1. Police Accommodation
  2. Improvement of literacy and numeracy skills
  3. Change management
  4. Provision of targeted training programs 

Achievements so far

Since RAMSI’s work to strengthen the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force began, significant progress has been made. Some of these achievements include:

  • The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force has now developed and implemented its Strategic Directions 2010-13, and developed Key Performance Indicators utilising measurements from the Solomon Islands Government-RAMSI People’s Survey.
  • The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, through its newly-developed traffic strategy, recorded a significant reduction in fatal vehicle accidents from 19 in 2008 to four in 2009.
  • The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Academy is successfully implementing recruitment campaigns and training new police recruits.
  • Women continue to progress through the ranks to senior positions including: Director of Human Resources (Chief Superintendent), Director of Strategic Planning and Policy & IIA (Chief Superintendent), and Director of Learning and Development (Superintendent).
  • The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force was the lead law enforcement agency for the 2010 Solomon Islands National General Election, with RAMSI’s Participating Police Force and military in a support role. The successful security operation for the 2010 election was a major success for the RSIPF.