THE presence of foreign troops in Honiara would be unnecessary if “a capable Police Commissioner was appointed to lead the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) after RAMSI had departed, a local Medical doctor, Reginald Aipia, has suggested.
“We have to call for international intervention because our own police force were let down by lack of leadership from their boss. The absence of leadership has now earned this country double trouble,” Dr Aipia said.
“First, we now have the uneasy feeling about the potential community spread of the deadly virus from the COVID-19 pandemic. This could have been prevented if there was leadership in the RSIPF.
“Secondly, members of the RSIPF now carry the stigma of being incapable of handling the situation. They are, but there is no capable leadership. There are fine men and women in the force but there is no continuity from when RAMSI left off.
“Fire the Commissioner because he is incapable. We can’t keep asking for assistance when we ourselves could have easily handled the situation,” he said.
Dr. Aipia said the government must now move quickly to remove the Commissioner of Police because he has proven to be not the man for the job.
“The arrival and presence of foreign troops has raised the level of potential community transmission of the various deadly corona viruses in Honiara to an unprecedented level,” Dr. Aipia said.
“The fact that the foreign troops avoided quarantine requirements on arrival only heightened the possibility of a break out in COVID-19 cases. The fact that they have been vaccinated does not mean they are not carriers of the virus.
“They could be carriers of the virus and not know it,” he said.
Dr. Aipia said the government must now act quickly in replacing the Commissioner so that potential replacements could horn their skills and experiences while they work with the Australian, PNG and Fiji troops now in Honiara.
“We must be prepared to help ourselves. This could only happen when the right person is selected to occupy key positions such as that of the Commissioner of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.”
By Alfred Sasako
Newsroom, Honiara
