Police and Corrections Services from around the Pacific come together to undertake Public Order Management Instructor training.

On 29 September 2023, Corporal Silivelio Lui and Constable Aviata Foleni of the Samoan Police Prisons and Corrections Service successfully completed the Pacific Regional Public Order Management Instructor Qualifying Program in the Solomon Islands. It was the culmination of three weeks of hard work and dedication.

Corporal Lui and Constable Foleni arrived in the Solomon Islands on 10 September 2023, along with officers from Vanuatu to participate in the program facilitated by the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF). The next three weeks the officers trained in the challenging conditions that the tough tropical climate of the Solomon Islands can deliver with high temperatures and humidity. All this in full Personal Protective Equipment.

During the program, the aspiring instructors had the opportunity to deliver lessons to two important units: the RSIPF Central Response Unit and Emergency Response Group. This was a crucial part of their assessment, allowing them to show case their teaching abilities and knowledge in the field.in the Pacific Regional Police Public Order Management Instructor Qualifying Program.

The program culminated in a large-scale POM Exercise held on Friday, September 29, 2023. This exercise involved the coordination and participation of approximately 100 members from different units within the RSIPF undertaking a mock riot.

At the conclusion of the program, Supervising Commissioner RSIPF, Juanita Matanga, expressed her praise for all the graduates who have successfully completed the Instructor Qualifying Program. Alongside Australian Federal Police (AFP) Acting Commander- Solomon Islands, Clinton Smith, she presented each graduate with Certificates of Attainment to recognize their accomplishment. The ceremony was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the graduates, as well as a celebration of their commitment to professional development and the betterment of the community.

This program, facilitated by the RSIPF, received support from the Samoa Australia Police Partnership and the AFP Law Enforcement Cooperation Program.

AFP Advisor with the Samoa Australia Police Partnership Detective Sergeant Peter O’Neill said “we are pleased that we could financially support and coordinate Pacific law enforcement coming together to build capacity in support of the Pacific Games and CHOGM 2024.

The instructor program will allow police from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Samoa to continue to build capacity in Public Order Management to keep the Pacific safe, with ability to work with each other seamlessly.”