Re-construction work to replace the Kukum Police Station, which was ransacked and burned during riots in Honiara, last November, will start soon- thanks to the help of the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
AFP, through its partnership program with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) known as the RSIPF-AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP) will support the RSIPF with the re-construction of the building.
The site, which is currently covered with dirt and fire ashes, will be cleared soon in preparation for the actual construction work on the Station to start.
This will be another major construction project supported by RAPPP under its four-year operational enabling foundations project. The building will not only provide a new and better working environment for the RSIPF officers but will benefit communities across Honiara that need RSIPF services.
The new design was influenced by specific operational requirements requested by the RSIPF including multi-purpose operations and briefing room to service the upcoming 2023 Pacific Games operations.
RAPPP Commander, Paul Osborne, said RAPPP support to the RSIPF is flexible and responsive.
“Funds committed to this Station were not in the original design of the RAPPP.
This shows how the AFP partnership program with the RSIPF is flexible and responsive to the needs of the RSIPF,” Commander Osborne said.
RSIPF Commissioner, Mostyn Mangau, said the RSIPF and AFP have worked together closely on the design features of this new Kukum Station.
“Kukum Station will enable RSIPF to manage future traffic operations for all of Honiara. It is a multipurpose facility which means we can convert Kukum into a police forward command centre when needed.
The flexibility of the AFP RAPPP demonstrated by the cooperation between AFP and RSIPF shows how they can come together to find proactive modern policing solutions that meet the national security of this country,” Commissioner Mangau said.
The RAPPP will continue to support the RSIPF over the next three years in the area of technical assistance and capability developments. The construction work is expected to provide job opportunities for local workers.
Recently, the RSIPF and the Naha community celebrated the re-opening of the Naha Police Station. The Naha local community tried to protect the Station during last November’s riots but it sustained extensive damage and it has to be closed due to safety concerns. The AFP’s program supported the RSIPF to re-open the Station affirming its commitment to support the RSIPF to deliver effective policing services to the community.
