The police in Solomon Islands, who have been without guns for almost 14 years, were rearmed on Monday.
The Regional Assistance Mission to the country, or RAMSI, stripped the force of all its firearms after years of bloody ethnic conflict which saw police siding with militants and attacking civilians.
125 officers are now authorised to carry guns including those in the tactical response team, officers protecting the prime minister and visiting dignitaries and police at the international airport.
Koroi Hawkins asked the Solomon Islands police commissioner Matthew Varley how people were reacting to the move.
RSIPF PRT members demonstrating live firing certification at the Tenaru Firing Range
Photo: RAMSI Public Affairs
Transcript
MATTHEW VARLEY: I think the public is supportive, but the public is also watching us closely. We are conscious that the eyes of the people of Solomon Islands are upon us and the trust of Solomon Islands people is on us and that was a very strong message today in the ceremony. We haven't forgotten the tension period that went on here only 14 years ago and that fact that the RSIPF it self at that time - some members of the RSIPF were involved in the conflicts - we haven't forgotten that but we have moved forward. And as I've said to the officers we can't forget the past, we must look to the future. As I pointed out to the community and the government more than 70 percent of the RSIPF has been recruited since the tension period, so this is a new police force, a modern police force and we are very confident that the officers here are well-trained and ready for the task.
KOROI HAWKINS: What situations would warrant these firearms being deployed or being used by the response team?
MV: These are high-specialised and highly-trained police officers and first, and foremost, the point we made today and we've continued to make is the use of a firearm in policing is always a last resort. We equip our officers with a high-degree of training across what we call the 'use of force continuum' and that means when we give them access to tools and techniques that are less lethal as well as the firearms. We have training in place for restraint techniques, gas canisters, capsicum spray and batons and those sorts of things. The use of firearms is always a last resort. These officers are our highly-specialised officers. The police response team is the team that responds to any sort of high-risk operation such as a siege or an armed offender and our close protection officers are body guards for our high office holders. And in particular we've also said that we would maintain a very limited capability for a crocodile destruction programme, which is very important to the communities here in the Solomon Islands.
KH: When you say armed offender, does that mean it necessarily has to be a fire arm or can it be any dangerous weapon?
MV: No, any dangerous weapon. These officers are high-trained and able to deploy a high range of tools and we've used these officers before in any sort of public order situation where people might have home-made or makeshift weapons. And that's why they have access to a wide range of tools including less lethal options.
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