NZ police to help in Solomons

Ten New Zealand police officers were to leave yesterday to help restore law and order in the Solomon Islands, Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said.

The officers were going to the Solomons as part of a three-year project with the Solomon Islands Government to rebuild policing in that country.

Australia and Britain had also provided police officers.

The New Zealand police officers would act as mentors and provide on-the-job training to Royal Solomon Islands Police officers working on frontline policing and criminal investigations.

The New Zealanders would neither be working in frontline positions nor have powers of arrest.

Their role was an advisory and training one, Mr Goff said. "The restoration of law and order is the first priority for Solomon Islands and a prerequisite for economic recovery.

"Without an improvement in both of these areas, the Solomons risk collapse with huge consequences not only for local people but also for regional stability," he said.

New Zealand police have been to the Solomons before as part of the international peace-monitoring team which wound up its operations in June.

- NZPA

Further reading
Feature: Solomon Islands

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