Solomon Islands Police meet with visiting Australian Security Chiefs

Commissioner of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), Matthew Varley and his Executive today (24 January 2019) met with the visiting heads of Australia’s four security organisations including the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Defense Force (ADF), the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation(ASIO).

The AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin, the ADF Chief of Defence, Air Commodore Angus Campbell, the ABF Commissioner Michael Outram and the Deputy Director General of ASIO are in Honiara on a one-day visit. They arrived in Honiara this morning and will leave tomorrow Friday 25 January 2019.

“We are very pleased to have been given this rare opportunity to meet the heads of Australia’s four security organisations to discuss how they could assist further the RSIPF capabilities to continue maintain law and order and provide security in Solomon Islands,” says RSIPF Commissioner, Matthew Varley.

Commissioner Varley adds: “RSIPF is grateful for the current assistance from the AFP through the Solomon Islands Police Development Program (SIPDP) and the ADF through the Australian Defence Force Cooperation Program but as the security situation in the country and of course in the region and the rest of the world continues to change, we will continue to need their assistance in areas such a capacity and capability development.”

“This year of course we will have the National General Election and so the Australian security organisations would like to find out how they would be able to assist the RSIPF to ensure there is a safe and free environment to enable voters to exercise their constitutional right to cast their ballots without fear,” says Commissioner Varley.

During the visit to the Rove Police Headquarters, the visiting VIPs also laid wreaths at the RAMSI Memorial for those servicemen and women who lost their lives during the operation of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands and the HMAS Canberra in the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II.

Commander of the ADF, Air Commodore Angus Campbell also visited the RSIPF Maritime Department at the Aola Base and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit at Hells Point, Alligator Creek, East of Honiara