* Drifting Vella fishermen rescued by police
* Police explain process to request slaying of crocs
Drifting Vella fishermen rescued by police
Three fishermen from south west of Vella la Vella Island in the Western province were lucky to be rescued by Gizo police after they ran out of fuel during a fishing trip.
This came after officers in Gizo received a report from a relative of the trio that they were floating between Kolombangara Island and a fishing rafter early this week, a statement from the Police Media Unit said yesterday.
“It was reported the three men went out on a fishing trip in the early morning of 24 January 2018 on board a ray boat powered by a 15 horse power engine and ran out of fuel,” said Provincial Police Commander, Western Province, Chief Superintendent, Mathias Lenialu.
“After receiving the report, we deployed our officers to search for the missing boat and they found the three fishermen this morning 11 nautical miles south west of Vella la Vella Island, safe and well.
“My officers have transported the three fishermen back to their families.”
Superintendent Lenialu has appealed to the people of Western province to always think about their safety first before travelling.
“Make sure that you have sufficient fuel, water and food for the trip and notify your relatives about your trip including your expected time of arrival. People must check SIBC or the Met Service on phone 23856 or toll free 933 for the latest weather report,” said PPC Lenialu.
Police explain process to request slaying of crocs
THE issue of managing the population of crocodiles which continue to be a threat to our communities is a priority for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).
Supervising Assistant Commissioner (AC) National Operation, Chief Superintendent, StanleyRiolo says:
“The RSIPF is aware of the threat crocodiles pose to members of our communities who reside alongside rivers, streams, creeks, lakes and coastal areas in some parts of the country and will try to assist get rid of these reptiles.
“People are therefore warned to take extra precaution while using these locations.”
He adds: “People are encouraged to report any sightings of crocodiles in the communities according to a process established by the police to ensure the reports are attended to in an effective manner.”
The process includes:
· Submit a formal request through the office of the Provincial Police Commanders (PPC) or to your nearest police station, stating very clearly where the crocodile or crocodiles have been sighted.
· The request form must bear the name of a community leader, date and signatory of the leader giving permission to the police to carry out the destruction of crocodile/s;
· The community leader who makes the request must also declare that no claim of compensation may be laid against the RSIPF for destroying crocodile/s within the surrounding area of his/her community; and
· If the community leader wishes to cancel the request to destroy the crocodile/s, they must do so in writing to the same PPC that they have made the original request.
In the event you are unable to make a written request, ask for help from other members of your community to do it on your behalf or ask an officer of the RSIPF to assist you write the request.
The Police Response Team (PRT) has killed 27 crocodiles since the rearmament of the RSIPF in May 2017 until the second week of January 2018 during operations conducted at locations throughout the country.
– Police Media Unit
