THE Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is a professional organisation, Commissioner Mostyn Mangau says.
He was responding to a report published by the Solomon Star newspaper on Thursday, suggesting that a “network of thieves” within the RSIPF could be linked to the $300, 000-plus missing from police custody since last October.
But Commissioner Mangau rebuffed that saying; not all police officers are involved in the missing $300,000-plus of exhibit money from the police facility.
“At the moment we only have one suspect,” Mangau said when asked by a reporter as to how many people their investigation is focusing on.
This paper raised the question that there could be “a network of thieves” within the police force linked to the missing exhibit money.
But in response to that report, a police statement issued on Wednesday said: “There is no such investigation (into the network) and there is no such network. Only the investigation into the missing $300,000.00 will reveal whether the suspect acted alone or other officers assisted him.”
Mangau yesterday said, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is a professional police organisation and the majority of the police officers continue to do their work professionally.
He said the police force has procedures in place to deal with any unethical and indiscipline manner in the police force.
“The police force has procedures to deal with any indiscipline matter that is identified in this organisation.
“I want to commend all RSIPF officers for the professionalism they have displayed in discharging their duties and services to our people,” Mangau said.
He reiterated the investigation is “progressing very well” but admitted it is complex.
He said the suspect was already interviewed and the Police’s Professional Standards and Internal Investigation (PSII) will analyse the information they gathered so far to determine the next course of action.
The suspect who is the officer manning the exhibit facility at the Police Headquarters at Rove has been suspended on half-pay awaiting the outcome of the investigation into the $300, 000-plus of exhibit money which went missing since last October.
Police recovered $336, 891.20 after a director of One Link Pacifica was arrested last April.
The director escaped to South Malaita after he failed to pay One Link Pacifica’s customers who invested in the scheme.
It was alleged that customers invested more than $56 million in the scheme, but police could only recover $336,891.20.
The money was initially kept at the exhibit facility at the Central Police Station before it was transferred on orders to the Exhibit Facility at the Police Headquarters.
By ASSUMPTA BONGIDANI
Newsroom, Honiara
