Police Commissioner Mathew Varley successfully conducted a half day visit to the Western Province on Tuesday.
He visited three centres starting at the provincial capital, Gizo then onto Ringi and Seghe.
The short visit was to discuss issues related to next week’s election, its preparation, the safety and security of the people in Western province and what Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) will be doing.
Mr Varley said that the safety and the security for all the people in Gizo, Western province is very important that if any one breaks the law RSIPF will deal with them accordingly.
“We want to promote peace and stability during the coming NGE and so we need cooperation want people need to work together so that the outcomes of the election goes smoothly and peacefully,” he said.
Mr Varley met with the Provincial Secretary Jeffrey Wickham during which the two discussed the latest updates about the General Election preparation, policing side of logistics that include key arrangements for deployment of officers already selected to cover the event in villages and towns across the country next week.
During the discussion, Mr Varley told the Provincial Secretary and his Deputy a thousand seven hundred and so officers will be posted to provincial towns and villages nation-wide in the duration of the event.
He said RSIPF is very confident that Police will go out there to make sure there is a minimum of violence and that voters will use to occasion to vote free and fair.
“Police officers will be stationed at key strategic locations across the country as polling day draws closer thus an unit however have been earmarked to be always on standby at Henderson international airport,” he said.
“Western Province expects to get a deployment of about fifty personnel from the Rapid Response Police (PRT). This is are specially trained police men and women who can be on short notice to be a reported scene,” he added.
He stated that all other provinces will each receive additional Police Units to cover the general elections in their locality.
“While everyone is going to hope for the best there is no room for complacency, we must also plan for the worse,” Commissioner Varley said.
The issue on alcohol was also raised during their discussion and the two agreed that there has to be some measured introduced.
This means sales of liquor few days leading up to polling day and until well after counting must be halted for the protection and security of everyone to move free and fairly before polling, during polling and soon after counting has been done away with, it was discussed.
The two agreed that a lot of incidents in the past has linked to alcohol as a major contributing factor in Solomon Islands.
The Police Commissioner spent an hour in Gizo during which he visited the main market and talked to market vendors, men women and children before making his way down the main business district stopping each time and had a chat with men and women on the streets.
His team of police team returned to JFK sports stadium to board the chopper back for Ringi in South Kolombangara and then on to Seghe in southeast New Georgia.
BY ULUTAH GINA
IN GIZO
