AFP donates powerful patrol boats to the Solomon Islands

The three 13-metre vessels, worth over $2 million, are in the final stages of construction and will be exported to the Solomon Islands over the coming months.

Final trials of the first patrol boat are currently underway at St Helens in north-east Tasmania and are expected to be complete by late May.

AFP International Deployment Group National Manager, Paul Jevtovic, said the new vessels will substantially boost the capacity of the Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) to conduct regular patrols around the 920 islands in the South Pacific archipelago.

“The sheer number and geographical spread of islands that make up the Solomons create many logistical challenges for police in maintaining law and order,” Federal Agent Jevtovic said.

“These islands stretch over 1800km from east to west and about 900km from north to south, so it is an incredibly vast area to police.”

“These powerful new boats will help overcome some of the mobility and distance issues and help communities situated outside the major provinces to benefit from enhanced policing patrols.”

The new patrol vessels are of aluminium construction, hold 2800 litres of fuel and can travel at a cruise speed of 30 knots (60kph) over a distance of 550 nautical miles.

Each carries a crew of four police with capacity for up to 12 passengers and 1 tonne of equipment.

They will be based at selected provinces in the Solomon Islands including Gizo, Auki and Honiara and will have the capacity to stay on patrol for up to two weeks at a time.

The donation of these vessels is in addition to 20 six-metre rigid hull inflatable boats already given to the RSIP by the AFP, which are currently being used at 13 police posts within the archipelago.

“As well as the AFP’s participation in the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, a large part of our work in the Solomons involves building capacity among the local police to help them deliver more effective and sustainable policing,” Federal Agent Jevtovic said.

“These new patrol vessels are an important part of that program, not only boosting policing resources but ensuring the benefits from improved local police practices and training flow through to those living in more remote parts of this unique community.”

An official naming ceremony for the three patrol boats will be conducted in the Solomon Islands after the last vessel has arrived in late September.

Details about obtaining television footage and photographs of the patrol boats are available from the AFP Media Team.