Police News Oct 06.indd - New Zealand Police Association

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PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceKiwis have built a good relationshipin their time in the Solomons• RAMSI TEAM: (Front row left to right): Tony Ah Wong, Kirsty Hurnen, Jenni Richardson, Noeline Verheyen, Sue Johnston, Lee Challenger,Richard O’Connor, Chris Goodall, Carl Neustroski and Tony O’Neill. (Middle row, left to right): Murray Lewis, Donna Bergesen and AnneCorbett. (Back row, left to right): Tod Kirker, Colin Harrison, Gary Larsen, Al Lester, Rob Carnegie, Garth Denheyer, Gary Milligan andNigel Grey.By Anne Corbett, NZ Police teammember in the SolomonsOn Saturday, 5th August the wheels ofa RNZAF Boeing 757 touched down atHenderson International Airport at Honiaraand 22 members of Galaxy 13 arrived as partof the Participating Police Force of RAMSI(Regional Assistance Mission to the SolomonIslands).At Guadalcanal Beach Resort, they joined 15other NZ Police members who have extendedtheir stay and 225 from Australia and 12contributing Pacific Nations. In addition, thereare Army personnel from Australia, NZ andPapua New Guinea.During their six-month rotation, the G13’sand those who have remained from previouscontingents will work in a variety of areas.These include National Investigations, theProvincial Policing Office, which looksafter the 17 posts on other islands, thePolice Academy, Strategic Planning,Communications, Maritime, CommunityPolicing, Joint Intelligence Group, HoniaraCentral Watchhouse, National Investigations,Staff Officer, and Executive Assistant tothe Royal Solomon Island Police (RSIP)Commissioner. Four members will also besent to provincial posts for a period of 14weeks.ChangesWe have also seen changes in the positionsof Contingent Commander and Staff Officer,with Tony O’Neill taking over from GraemeCairns, and Kirsty Hurnen from Helen Harrisrespectively.Initially, staff undergo an induction of up tofive days and, as a result, can suffer greatlyfrom information overload. The great benefitof having overlapping deployments is thatinformation and help is readily available fromsomeone who has been there and done that.The majority of the camp personnel worka normal week – only General Duties,Communications Centre staff and theProtective Services staff work shift work,although there are callout rosters for otherareas. Thirteen kilometres from the campis the Rove complex, which houses theAcademy, National Investigations, NationalIntelligence Unit, Police National HQ,Communications, Community Policing and theprison, which has Army personnel on guardto supplement prison staff. Travel is by way ofsmall vans driven by locally employed staff.RespectThe Kiwi contingents are always big favouriteswith both the RSIP, the people of Honiara citywho recognise the kiwi logo on our shirts, andthe locally employed staff who work aroundthe camp. The guys who man the gate callout ‘Kia Ora’ and often take the opportunity tochat about the All Blacks.228October 2006
New Zealand Police AssociationWe have a reputation in the workplace forgetting on with the job, possessing creativeproblem solving skills and building goodrelationships with the staff with whom wework. We refuse to get bogged down withprocesses and unnecessary paperwork,preferring to just get on with the task at hand.The mission is in the capacity developmentstage, which means that staff are activelyinvolved in coaching and mentoring RSIP staff.Such simple activities are teaching them toride bicycles for patrols in the community andto drive a troopie so they can go out on patrol– things we take for granted.PovertyThe locals are mostly cheerful and softlyspoken - keen to learn about the worldoutside of their island. They are poor by moststandards and many live a hand to mouthexistence.• RIOTS AND RUIN: China Town lies in ruins while fires blaze after rioting in April.An RSIP Constable gets paid about $500(Solomons) dollars a fortnight, equivalentto $NZ100. A 20kg bag of rice costs $100(Solomons) without any other expenses.Their housing is substandard and a constantsource of angst as they try to accommodatetheir families. Often only one person in ahousehold of up to 10 people is employed.The infrastructure does not provide the thingswe take for granted - running water, goodroads, and streetlights.The Police are the poor cousins in comparisonto other Government departments and werethe only ones that did not get any sort of payrise this year.People still make the best of things. Thereare always crowds of people around townon grass and dirt areas of any size, usuallykicking around a ball, as soccer is their firstlove. The frangipani trees bloom year roundand the blossoms decorate the groundeverywhere. By contrast, the red stain ofbetelnut juice marks everything and the whiteteeth you expect to see in a smile are oftenrotten and stained by the corrosive mix ofbetelnut and lime.CrocodilesSwimming on the foreshore and the rivers iscommon, despite the threat of crocodiles. Thereported sightings of these in our area havebeen few and far between though.• UP IN SMOKE: The Pacific Casino Hotel on fire during the riots.• SIMPLE JOYS: Local village children enjoy a gift of balloons, which were given to them by apolice staff member.October 2006229
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Police News Oct 06.indd - New Zealand Police Association

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