One year on for RAMSI-Operation Helpem Fren

The Mission

• On 24 July 2004 it will be one year since the first Australian Hercules touched down at Henderson International Airport in Honiara, marking the start of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
• As part of this police led operation, the Australian Federal Police sent 206 officers (including officers from what was then Australian Protective Services) as the law enforcement contingent. This contingent was led by Federal Agent Ben McDevitt.
• Today 208 Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers along with 94 personnel from eight regional countries make up the 302-member Participating Police Force (PPF) currently operating in Solomon Islands. Other countries to provide police are New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Nauru and the Cook Islands
• The aim of the PPF is to work alongside their counterparts in the Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) to restore law and order and help build the long term capacity of the local police force to address ongoing crime and order issues.
• The PPF is just one part of RAMSI which is lead by Nick Warner, a senior officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The purpose of the wider Mission is to facilitate the return of good governance and longer term economic recovery.
• The commencement phase of the operation (July to December 2003) met all objectives including establishing a PPF presence in Honiara and key provinces, establishing a safe social environment in which law, order, security and good governance could be realised, and reducing illegal activity including serious crime, extortion, violence and corruption.

Major Achievements in establishing law and order

As a result of cooperative efforts between the Royal Solomon Islands Police and the Participating Police Force the following milestones have been achieved to restore law and order:

• 3,730 illegal weapons and 306,851 rounds of ammunition have been seized or surrendered and ultimately destroyed. This includes about 700 high-powered military style weapons.
• 3,316 people have been arrested and charged with 4,788 offences. These charges are now being processed through the courts.
• Among those arrested are key militant figures such Jimmy Lusibaea (Rasta), Ronnie Cawa and most notably the Weathercoast militant leader Harold Keke, who surrendered on day 20 of the mission following lengthy negations with senior members of the PPF.
• A significant number of high profile murders have been solved including the murder of seven Melanesian brothers who were killed by Keke's gang in early 2003, 10 Kwaio mercenaries sent to the Weathercoast to capture Keke but caught and killed when their boat ran out petrol and father Augustine Gieve who was murdered by Keke's gang for allegedly failing in his duties as a politician.
• Exhumation operations have uncovered a total of 43 bodies.
• Internal investigations into the professional standards of the Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) have resulted in 71 arrests and 375 criminal charges being laid. These charges include official corruption, murder, intimidation and inappropriate use of firearms. Over 400 people have been removed from the RSIP.
• 17 outposts have been established in the provinces in a concerted effort to prevent crime across Solomon Islands and prosecute criminal activities.
• Security & guarding has provided personal protection to key political figures as well as essential security around government infrastructure, the temporary court, remand facilities and Rove Prison.

The road to long term change

The consolidation phase (January to December 2004) is about achieving sustainable goals. The long term aim of the PPF is to help build the capacity of RSIP to maintain law and order and create an environment that supports economic reconstruction and commerce. This is being achieved through facilitating cultural change within RSIP, providing appropriate training and mentoring and helping to enhance community participation and confidence.

Achievements to date include:

• Establishment of the RSIP Protection Unit.
• The first intake of 30 recruits began a newly created training course on 19 July. The course is modeled on Australian police practices taking into account Melanesian customs. The 30 recruits represent all nine Solomon Island provinces.
• Development of management training for senior police officers with RSIP members flying to Australia later this year to undergo a course at the Australian Institute of Police Management in Manly.
• Placement of advisors throughout the justice system to strengthen the country's ability to deal with the large number of arrests being made.
• Completion of a new high security prison in Honiara and a strengthened prison service.
• The development of crime prevention initiatives in schools and the wider community.