Police training – Asia Pacific Report

Why we need protection from brutality of some thuggish NZ police

APR editor — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 04:47:58 +0000

COMMENTARY: By Saige England

A New Zealand policeman pushed over an elderly man who was doing nothing but waving a Palestinian flag at a solidarity rally in Ōtautahi yesterday.

Yes the man employed to protect the public committed a violent assault. Not a wee shove, a great big push that caused the man to fall the ground – onto hard tarmac.

It comes on top of a woman being fatally shot this week by police and her partner being shot and injured. In that case a knife was involved but it’s kind of like paper-scissors-rock, is it not?

Police wear protective clothing and where are the tasers?

In other, different, situations I know for a fact that some of our police are violent against peaceful people.

I have experienced their brutality directly while filming their brutality. Like the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) they see journalists who film their offensive actions as the enemy.They used pepper spray against me illegally to stop me filming their perversity.

But look, it’s a hard job so they need how-not-to-be-thugs training.

Pre-trained as thugs
Some young men are already pre-trained to be thugs and they seem to be out at the front. They feel great in this mostly white gang.

I have witnessed police haul people off the pavement, beat them up, and then arrest the victims of their assaults “for assault”.

False accusations to protect themselves? Twisting the narrative completely to hide their own violence?

False arrests when they themselves should face arrest.

I think we’ve had enough.

Some of the boys in blue really really need to grow up.

They need training that teaches them that manning or womaning up (some women cops play the thug game too) doesn’t mean training to be a wanker white supremacist.

Self awareness
Good training means teaching police to be self aware, aware of thoughts and feelings, not just learning cognitive behavioural tools but applying them.

They are in the community to protect the community. They should not see people who are supporting human rights or kids attending a party as their opposition, their enemy.

These thug police need to unlearn their thuggery and learn instead, how to relate to the people. They are not defending themselves against the public. They must not view people — real human beings — as their enemy.

The thug cops are adept at dehumanising others. They need to learn to see people as individuals and this includes people attending group functions like parties or protests or club activities. People have human rights.

This includes the right to be respected and treated with dignity.

The perpetrators of violent crime are — far too often — the police. I’ve seen it happen with no provocation time and again. Too many times to count.

They don the black gloves and black sunnies and wear bullet proof vests and feel what?How do they feel when they gear up? Threatened or threatening?

Public protection
Questions need to be asked.

The public needs protection from some — not all — of our police.

And the legal system, the justice system — (I’m trying not use an ironic tone here) needs to be applied to violent crimes, including the police crims who assault members of the public.

I worry for unseen victims too. I worry for their wives and children because if they assault with no provocation on the street what do they do at home?

Do people who behave like street devils turn into angels at home?

Investigations must be held about why our police are assaulting bystanders and peaceful protesters.

Tragedy investigation
I guess there wll be an investigation into the bullets against knife tragedy. But we need other investigations too.

I know the footage of what happened to our innocent elderly protester will be posted on social media.

New footage emerges of policeman pushing partygoer (2021 1News video)

In the meantime, here’s other footage above of Christchurch police doing what they are in danger of doing best.

This footage is four years ago but this alarming, aggressive behaviour continues as demonstrated yesterday by a cop shoving to the ground an unarmed, unprotected, elderly man waving a Palestinian flag whom they then — so wrongly — charged with assault!

Saige England is an Aotearoa New Zealand journalist, author, and poet, member of the Palestinian Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA), and a contributor to Asia Pacific Report. This commentary was first published on her social media.

Australia launches ‘landmark’ UN police peacekeeping course for Pacific region

APR editor — Mon, 19 May 2025 01:00:35 +0000

Australia has launched the world’s first UN Police Peacekeeping Training course tailored specifically for the Pacific region.

The five-week programme, hosted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), is underway at the state-of-the-art Pacific Policing Development and Coordination Hub in Pinkenba, Brisbane.

AFP said “a landmark step” was developed in partnership with the United Nations, and brings together 100 police officers for training.

READ MORE: Other Pacific peacekeeping reports

AFP Deputy Commissioner Lesa Gale said the programme was the result of a long-standing, productive relationship between Australia and the United Nations.

Gale said it was launched in response to growing regional ambitions to contribute more actively to international peacekeeping efforts.

Participating nations are Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

“This course supports your enduring contribution and commitment to UN missions in supporting global peace and security efforts,” AFP Northern Command acting assistant commissioner Caroline Taylor said.

Pacific Command commander Phillippa Connel said the AFP had been in peacekeeping for more than four decades “and it is wonderful to be asked to undertake what is a first for the United Nations”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Solomon Islands police complete combat drill with Chinese trainers

APR editor — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 09:50:38 +0000

By Robert Iroga in Honiara

Fourteen officers of the Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) have completed the first public order management (POM) training conducted by Chinese instructors.

During the two week course, the Police Response Team (PRT) and Operational Safety Training (OST) officers were trained in unarmed combat skills, advanced use of long sticks, round shields, tactical batons, T-shaped batons, handcuffs, basic rifle tactics and crowd control.

They were trained by the Chinese Police Liaison Team (CPLT) at Rove Police Headquarters.

All the training was “relevant and practical” aimed at increasing the capability of RSIPF officers to respond to different kinds of emergencies, a statement said amid controversy over a leak of a security pact between China and Solomon Islands.

At the end of the training last Friday, the instructors from CPLT and RSIPF assessed all 14 officers.

A second POM training course will be conducted for Central Response Unit (CRU) and Provincial Response Unit (PRU) officers from May 2-15.

Deputy Commissioner (National Security and Operation Support) Ian Vaevaso said he was “extremely happy” that the RSIPF was receiving such policing capacity development training.

This would help boost the capability of police officers to handle various situations during public disorder, he said.

Deputy Commissioner Vaevaso thanked the Chinese instructors for the commitment and dedication in making making the first training a success.

Robert Iroga is publisher and editor of SBM Online. Republished with permission.

China pact leaked by ‘lunatics’ and ‘agents of foreign regimes’
RNZ Pacific reports that Solomon Islands Prime Minister Mannasseh Sogavare says the leak of a draft security pact between Beijing and Honiara was done by “lunatics and agents of foreign regimes” with “no regard for secrecy”.

The Pacific country has drawn criticism from Australia and New Zealand after a draft copy of the security agreement being brokered with China was leaked.

In a parliamentary statement today, Sogavare brushed off accusations that a new China-Solomon Islands security treaty would diminish the role of its traditional security partners in the region.

Sogavare said his country’s relationship with allies in Australia and New Zealand will “always remain important”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Police have become political tool under Widodo’s watch, says rights group

APR editor — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 21:50:12 +0000

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

The Lokataru Legal and Human Rights Foundation says there are two problems with the Indonesian police which have developed during the era of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration.

These two problems are “politicisation” and “police professionalism”.

“Perhaps it’s still the same as the problem before, particularly during the era of Jokowi’s administration. One of the problems is the politicisation of the police and the second is the problem of police professionalism,” said Lokataru executive director Haris Azhar during a Setroom virtual presentation broadcast by CNN Indonesia.

Azhar said the police today were a result of the democratisation of Indonesia since 1998 and there should have been institutional improvements in the police as an institution.

In the process of their development, however, the police had now become a political tool of those in power.

This was reflected by the different legal treatment afforded to groups who were pro and against the government or those in power.

“Law enforcement is discriminative, targeting groups outside of the power holders. Even if there are reports of cases from outside those in power, it doesn’t automatically mean that they will be followed up. There have been many cases like this, particularly in the lead up to elections,” he said.

Politicisation related to professionalism
Azhar said that this politicisation was also related to police professionalism.

“Because of politicisation in the end they’re not professional. But in the context of law enforcement, providing security, I think we can find a pattern. I’ve long been advocating police affairs,” he said.

Based on his advocacy work, he has found cases which are only dealt with after there is an order from above or it has gone viral on social media.

Not only this, Azhar has also come across cases where investigators ask those making reports for money so that the case would be dealt with quickly.

On the other hand, he has also found police who do work professionally.

“So this [lack of] professionalism is not just the disturbed face of the police in the eyes of the public, but they also betray other officers within the police,” he said.

Speaking on the same broadcast, the head of the National Police headquarters information bureau public relations division (Karopenmas) Brigadier-General Awi Setiyono did not deny that police officers committed violations.

Trying to improve
He said, however, that the police were endeavoring to improve.

“God willing, on the matters raised by Haris related to the handling of cases which have to wait for an order, I think we’re getting there, the police are getting better. We already have monitoring instruments, control functions,” he said.

Setiyono said that the existence of unprofessional police officers was because of the mentality of officers who were easily seduced.

“This goes back to the mentality of personnel, it’s true also that there have been temptations. And up until now on that kind of thing we have never compromised. If we straighten it out, there are many reserve players with us,” he said.

Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Lokataru Ungkap 2 Masalah Polisi di Era Jokowi”.

NZ police scrapping Armed Response Teams after trial, says commissioner

APR editor — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 07:43:20 +0000

By RNZ News

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced today that Armed Response Teams will not be part of the New Zealand policing model in the future.

A trial of the teams of police carrying firearms (ARTs) were launched in Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury last year and ended in April.

In recent days, mass protests across New Zealand against police brutality – sparked by the killing of African-American George Floyd in the US on May 25 – have renewed opposition to armed police and the response teams specifically.

Commissioner Coster said the decision to scrap the teams was based on preliminary findings from the trial evaluation – which is yet to be completed – feedback from the public, and consultation with community forum groups.

“It is clear to me that these response teams do not align with the style of policing that New Zealanders expect,” Coster said.

“We have listened carefully to that feedback and I have made the decision these teams will not be a part of our policing model in the future,” he said.

“As part of this, I want to reiterate that I am committed to New Zealand Police remaining a generally unarmed police service.”

Valued community relationships
Commissioner Coster said police valued their relationships with the various communities they served, and this meant working with them to find solutions that worked for both.

NZ Police Commissioner Andrew Coster … “I am committed to New Zealand Police remaining a generally unarmed police service.” Image: RNZ

“How the public feels is important – we police with the consent of the public, and that is a privilege,” Coster said.

The trial aimed to have specialist police personnel ready to deploy and support frontline staff in critical or high risk incidents.

“We can only keep New Zealanders safe if we can keep our staff safe too,” he said.

“That is why police has invested in the new body armour system, we have strengthened training, and given our officers more tools and tactical options.”

Police were looking into “broad tactical capability” to ensure critical response options remained fit for purpose, he said.

“We will still complete the evaluation into ARTs and that will now inform the wider tactical capability work programme.”

Any further options arising from this would undergo consultation with communities, Coster said.

Opposition to trials
There had been widespread opposition to the trials, including a Waitangi Tribunal claim being filed by justice advocates arguing the Crown breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi by failing to work in partnership with, consult, or even inform Māori about the trial.

Māori Associate Professor of Law Dr Khylee Quince said the new Police Commissioner had clearly “read the room” in deciding to scrap ARTs.

She said Māori and Pasifika communities were already at the receiving end of a disproportionate amount of police force and adding guns to the mix would have only led to a death.

“It’s important we have a police force that not only the public trusts but that commits to the kind of policing we want in New Zealand.

“And we’ve had a clear public message that people do not want routine arming or militarisation of New Zealand police.”

She said if the ARTs had been rolled out as a permanent fixture it would have only been a matter of time before someone was killed.

‘Someone was going to get harmed’
“I don’t buy the fact that the police only drew their firearms five times. At some stage someone was going to harmed.

“I think the fact that the trial was only six months is the only reason there wasn’t a fatality in that time.”

Last week, Labour Māori Caucus said they had met with Police Minister Stuart Nash and made their views opposing the general arming of the police force very clear.

“While the decision to deploy the ART trial was independently made by the then commissioner of police, and not a government initiative, we as a caucus acknowledge the general feeling of lack of consultation about the trial that exists – especially within Māori,” Labour Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said.

A survey on on the ARTs found 85 percent of participants did not support the trial.

Justice reform advocate Laura O’Connell Rapira said 91 percent of people surveyed were less likely to call the police in family violence situations if they knew the police had guns.

‘Better off’ without armed police
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she welcomed the decision and communities were “better off” without ARTs.

“This is something to celebrate. We commend the New Zealand Police for listening to the public outcry during and after the ART trials. They have listened to the community, and made the right call,” Davidson said.

“This decision today reinforces the need for people to make their voices heard. We know that people of colour, in particular black and brown communities, do not feel protected with armed police on patrol.”

However, Davidson said there were still systemic problems police needed to address.

“There is still work to do in terms of ending systemic discrimination and systemic racism within the police, it has been well established that is still continuing and that’s why the further arming of police was heading in the wrong direction,” she said.

She said more holistic solutions were needed instead to keep communities safe, such as mental health and youth support.

The party’s justice spokesperson, Golriz Ghahraman, said the move was a step “against the American-style militarisation” of the police force.

National Party police spokesperson, Brett Hudson also agreed that the commissioner made the right choice, saying that firearms were already available to police when needed for public safety.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.
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Indonesia beefs up anti-terror police unit to combat ‘extremist’ challenge

APR editor — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 20:19:38 +0000

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Indonesia is beefing up its elite Detachment 88 (Densus 88) unit in light of increased threats from local and international terror networks, says National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian.

There will be additional 600 policemen assigned to the squad, bringing the total headcount to 1300, reports The Straits Times.

“We now have Isis, not only Al-Qaeda elements. We are also seeing those who, through the internet, got self-radicalised, learnt how to make bombs and made attack plans,” said General Tito at a media briefing in Jakarta.

“Therefore, the Detatchment 88 must be beefed up.”

General Tito, who was involved in various high-profile terrorist raids when he was a field officer with Detachment 88, said silent operations must be stepped up, meaning more preemptive strikes were needed.

This in turn required higher detection capability, he added.

Tasks within Detatchment 88 are divided into various operations: arrests and raids; investigation and cross examination; interrogation; wiretapping; and evidence handling.

Won praise, condemnation
The unit has won praise for the many raids it has made on militant networks in Indonesia, foiling attacks and arresting terrorist suspects.

However, it has also been heavily criticised for a repressive role in West Papua against indigenous self-determination and civil society groups.

In 2017, Detatchment 88 arrested 154 and killed 16 terrorists during raids, with 14 officers injured and four killed during the raids operations.

The unit made more than 150 arrests in 2016, disrupting terror plots, including the planned launch of rocket attacks on Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands from Batam island.

General Tito also unveiled plans to send more police officers for overseas studies, saying he was inspired by the late Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in his bold move in preventing corruption.

The police force has, for the first time, received an allocation of 120 scholarship positions from the Finance Ministry to send its personnel abroad. This would mean a record number of officers studying overseas in coming years.

Waves of new faces
“We want to have big waves of new faces and a less corrupt culture,” said General Tito.

“When they return to Indonesia, they will have their own community who think the same way and who will be the agents of change. We want to replicate the Singapore concept. This is what Singapore did.”

He noted that when young policemen were sent to the United States, Britain and other countries with a less corrupt culture, they would be shaped accordingly.

The plan is to send 100 of the 300 fresh graduates from the police academy overseas as well as scores of other early-career policemen, he added.

More Indonesian stories

Cyber ‘provocation’ Indonesian police’s biggest challenge, says Kalla

APR editor — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 06:28:02 +0000

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Cyber “provocation” — through social media — is one of the biggest challenges being faced by the Indonesia’s national police (Polri) at present, says Vice-President Jusuf Kalla.

“We have to be ready to counter cyber provocation by forwarding various information that explains the actual event,” Kalla said in a public lecture given to participants of the Middle Leadership School (Sespimmen) of the national police at the Vice-Presidential Palace in Jakarta this week.

Pacific participants were present at the lecture.

He then cited an example of the provocation of extremist and radical groups, such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), that is spread among Indonesian youth through social media, persuading them to falsely carry out jihad, which is an act of fighting in the name of the religion, against the police.

Such acts are revealed through the bombing incident in the recent Jakartas Kampung Melayu area and the stabbing incident towards a police officer in the Police Headquarters.

“I have read that the bomb makers in Bandung were never taught to create explosives and that they had only learned it through the internet, Kalla said.

“Hence, there is no need for lessons these days, and all they have to do is to access the internet to easily create a bomb. If you do not master these kinds of technologies, then it would be challenging for you to tackle issues in rural areas.”

Security front guard
Kalla believes that the Polri, as the front guard in maintaining security and public order, will be the first party sought when problems occur in an area, especially with the rapid spread of information through social media and instant messaging groups.

“If you do not move as fast as this information does, then people’s reliance on the false information that circulates on the social media applications will grow bigger. Your challenges today are rather different compared to the ones faced by police officers 20 years ago,” he said.

Kalla expressed hope that the academy would also strengthen its curriculum on information technology to be taught to potential squad leaders at all levels.

One of the biggest challenges these days is speed, and it can only be countered by speed as well. Once you snooze and fail to verify information to the public, there are risks of conflict happening, and it happens in all parts of the world,” he said.

The public lecture, given by Kalla, about overcoming social conflict was attended by 246 participants of the Polris Leadership Programme.

The participants involve four foreigners, including two members of the Fiji police force, one from Singapore, and another one from the Timor-Leste police department.

PNG’s media council unveils updated code of ethics as guide for elections

Pacific Media Watch — Sun, 21 May 2017 12:24:55 +0000

Charmaine Poriambep of TVWan News reports on the timely new PNG code of ethics.

Pacific Media Watch News Desk

Journalists, reporters and media practitioners in Papua New Guinea have been urged to use the industry’s revised code of ethics to guide their conduct during next month’s 2017 General Election.

The General Code of Ethics for the News Media was reviewed and updated by the Australian Press Council in October last year after the MCPNG approached and asked for their assistance, due to the growth of the PNG media industry and the arrival of social media and online news services.

The MCPNG board met and agreed to give the revised edition of the code its stamp of approval in December last year and distribute it to all media personnel on the eve of Papua New Guinea’s 2017 general election.

“I must thank the Australian Press Council for the collaboration and partnership by agreeing to review and revise our General Code of Ethics for the News Media — especially Professor David Weisbrot, chair of the Australian Press Council, who played a major part in the review,” said MCPNG president Alexander Rheeney.

“The revised code covers all aspects of a growing PNG media industry including online news services. I appeal to all media personnel to use it as a guide when covering the 2017 general elections, as it will ensure that the news content you produce will be of a high standard for your Papua New Guinean listeners, readers and viewers.”

The release of the revised code coincides with the launching of the MCPNG’s new website

Rheeney said the availability of the new website would ensure that the code, the work as well as the goals and objectives of the MCPNG was now available for media industry people and the PNG public to check.

“I urge the public to log on to our website and check out the code so you are aware of the conduct that all media practitioners including journalists are expected to benchmark themselves against when covering news in Papua New Guinea.”

Should there be instances of abuse of the revised code; said Rheeney, the aggrieved member of the public should not hesitate to contact the respective media organisations or the MCPNG to take it up on their behalf.

Expatriates in police training
Meanwhile, Loop PNG reports that the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) chair and Chief Secretary to Government has condemned statements on social media about the recruitment of expatriates in police training.

Isaac Lupari has expressed appreciation for the recent demonstration of police training that would “strengthen police tactical response capability”.

He criticised some social media commentators who had sought to make “misleading comments” that were not related to the training demonstration.

Lupari said the National Security Advisory Committee had been briefed by Police Commissioner Gari Baki and would present its recommendations to the National Executive Council.

He said there was no such thing as a private army or security operation — these rumours were created by people with a political agenda, he claimed.

Many social media websites last week carried images of heavily armed white expatriates, often seen alongside police officers.

New MCPNG website

PNG police chief stands down expat security contractor over ‘illegals’

Pacific Media Watch — Thu, 18 May 2017 04:01:29 +0000

Pacific Media Centre News Desk

A group of United States security contractors engaged by Papua New Guinea’s police chief to give firearms training have been stood down from their duties, ABC’s Pacific Beat reports.

Only a day earlier, Commissioner Gary Baki had said the men — from the US firm Laurence Aviation and Security — were in Port Moresby investigating what type of training PNG police needed ahead of next year’s APEC summit.

But Baki revealed the men – described by former prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta as “mercenaries” — as also having conducted police operations, something that may be illegal according to PNG’s Constitution, reported Pacific Beat.

As a result, there had been calls for the police commissioner to resign and be investigated.

National Broadcasting Corporation News reported that 15 contracted men would be deported.

ABC Pacific Beat’s Joy Kisselpar reported that Commissioner Baki said five men currently in PNG with Laurence Aviation had been stood down until the National Security Advisory Committee considered his submission.

Intense speculation
The identity and purpose of the armed security men have been the subject of intense speculation and conflicting reports since social media reports and images of their presence last weekend, reports Pacific Media Watch.

In February 1997, the Sandline affair involving foreign mercenaries threw Papua New Guinea into turmoil.

The PNG military arrested 44 mercenaries brought into the country from Australia, Britain and South Africa to be engaged in the Bougainville war by the Sir Julius Chan government.

Chan was forced to resign the following month. The crisis was named after Sandline International, a British-based private security contractor.

Solomon Islands decision to rearm police sparks heated debate

Wansolwara — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 22:35:22 +0000

By Lowen Sei

The Solomon Islands police force is facing one of its biggest tests of legitimacy since the withdrawal of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) peace-keeping force.

As part of RAMSI’s mission to reduce ethnic violence in the Solomon Islands, guns were confiscated and destroyed across the country.

However, with new reported incidents of gun violence, the Solomon Islands government has taken a decision to rearm the police force.

This has caused mixed reactions from the public, and has generated debate whether this was the right decision.

In June, Prime Minister Manaseh Soqavare opened the new RSIPF National Response Department Building at Rove Police Headquarters containing the armoury. This was the first step in the limited rearmament process of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.

The facility will house pistols, shotguns, rifles and ammunitions to be used by three police operational units – the RSIP Police Response Team, Close Personal Protection Team and Internal Airport Police.

Many welcomed the government’s decision, saying that it was the right time to rearm the police force; however, some were still wary of the armoury’s opening – people who were mainly victims of the ethnic tensions.

Police criticised
In February, Nathan Ratu Nukufetau, a community elder from Vanikoro Island, Temotu province, criticised the police about the use of guns to make arrests on the island.

This was in relation to a land dispute incident over logging operations on Vanikoro Island in which several homes were destroyed.

He said that the police actions on the use of guns for the arrest were unprofessional and uncalled for.

“Police are professionals in their job and had been trained when to use excessive force and when not to use it,” he said.

“The incident of the use of guns certainly lost the trust and confidence of the community over the police.”

In his keynote address during the opening of the armoury, the prime minister assured the citizens of the country that there was no need to fear the police.

“I want to make it clear that the personnel who will be bearing arms have gone through a series of specialised and rigorous training, which requires them to use the arms only when the situation becomes critically necessary.

“These officers have trained and are disciplined to use these firearms for protection and for the sake of maintaining law and order in very critical situations, and only as a last resort,” he said.

Accountability rules
He also reiterated that RAMSI had also been heavily engaged with the RSIPF in finalising sets of accountability and governance rules and systems to ensure the arms are used responsibly.

“Let me assure the people of Solomon Islands, that these weapons are police weapons that are used by police forces worldwide.

“That the cabinet will only make a decision on the carriage and use when it is absolutely satisfied with necessary training, storage infrastructure, control systems and governance arrangements are in place.”

Dr Gordon Nanau, a senior Solomon Islands academic at USP, believes that there are two sides two this issue – people are critical about this move, and that the police should be modernised.

He said the debate on police rearmament was due to the past experience that Solomon Islanders had during the ethnic tensions.

“As we all know, during that time guns that were owned by the government were given and taken into the wrong hands,” he said.

People wary
“I think some people are quite wary about the how during the past, the government was not able to fully control the arms, and how it ended up in the hands of the two warring militant parties, because the purpose of arms is to protect the citizens, but in this case arms were used against the people.”

But he also said the police force in the Solomon Islands were also becoming more helpless due to the recent reports of criminals using firearms, which also endangered their lives when carrying out operations and arrests.

He said the proper checks and regulations must be strictly monitored. This would help develop trust in the police force by the public, and this was because a lot of people in the country were still questioning the professionalism of police officers.

Lowen Sei is a reporter with Wansolwara News at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji.