Sammy Wakori writing in the Island Sun newspaper last week commented on how the new commanding officer of police operations in Auki, Chief Superintendent Lesley Kili was pursuing “policing awareness,’ (oka) community policing in and around Auki.
Sammy went on to write, and I quote.
Mr. Kili said in an interview yesterday that they had received requests from eight communities for the awareness program and a number of had already completed and so far the police had visited Auki Central Market, Kilusakwalo and Ambu communities on the policing awareness program.
Mr. Kili added that the police would also be visiting, Lilisiana, Gwounaru and Kwa communities on the programme.and would go so far as Bina in west Kwaio.
Mr. Kili said the awareness programme was part of the current operations in Auki, so that people will interact with the police and learn how they should work together.
So far communities that had been visited with the policing awareness team had appreciated the program and the police had thanked them for their positive feedback.
End of quote.
After 25 years since I first introduced community policing and the early form of police media as the then Commissioner of Police in the Solomon Islands, I have followed and generally been pleased as to how community policing has continued as a central policy practice of the now RSIPF.
I was particularly pleased how community policing played a central part in advising communities on the Western border of the risks posed by the intrusion of Covid-19 across the common waters shared with Bougainville.
Mr.Kili chooses to talk of “policing awareness,” but the reality is community policing functions in exactly the same manner and is designed and defined as involving three key components: developing community partnerships, engaging in problem solving, and implementing community policing organizational features.
Community policing encourages interactive partnerships between law enforcement agencies, their officers, and the people they serve. By developing connections within the community, police are better informed and empowered to solve public safety problems.
The Police forge partnerships with people who live and work in the community. These partnerships can help develop trust and transparency, leading to more efficient and effective policing and better community-police relationships.
All Community policing must begin with an understanding of what communities are and how they function and in the Solomon Islands learn about the traditional role of village chiefs, customs, rights and jurisdiction.
A good community police officer must be encouraged to learn about demographics, including population or size, distribution, growth, density and vital statistics such as average age, education, and income as well as employment rates and especially concerns relating to the youth, public health, domestic violence and concerns over customary land, which often are the cause of local disputes and occasional clashes leading to violence.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
