Legal Policy Development training successfully concluded

The Ministry of Police, National Security & Correctional Services (MPNSCS) successfully conducted a two-day Legal Policy Development Course last week for its two agencies, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) and the Correctional Service of Solomon Islands (CSSI), MPNSCS officials, as well as five officials from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP).

Speaking during the opening of the training on Tuesday, MPNSCS Director for Policy and Planning, Mr. Anthony Kivolyn said the two-day training, among the benefits, is perceived as a prerequisite for the RSIPF and CSSI Legislative Review Committee members as they will be the ones who will involve in undertaking and supporting the review of the Police Act 2013 and the Correctional Service Act 2007.

“Therefore, I will appeal to you all to make use of this opportunity and learn as much as you can from the two days of training,” Director Kivolyn said.

The Legal Policy Development Course was developed by the Australian Attorney General’s Department (AGD) in 2013, and since then, AGD has delivered the course (through its trainers) to many public officials in the Pacific.

The course helps participants better understand what policy is, the role of public servants and government ministers in legal policy development, and it also provides participants with a helpful framework to develop more successful policy outcomes.

Developing good policy outcomes is a central feature of the course, which uses the acronym ‘OUTCOME‘ to set out the seven steps for successful policy development: 1) Obtain information on the problem; 2) Uncover and understand stakeholders; 3) Think ahead and plan; 4) Create options; 5) Outreach, consultation, and decision-making on the policy; 6) Make it happen. and 7) Evaluation.

The course also provides participants with a range of handy tools to analyse and develop options to address legal and public policy issues more generally.

Mr. Kivolyn has thanked the facilitators, observers, and all participants for taking the time to attend and participate in the two-day training sessions.

He firmly believes that knowledge of legal policy development is very crucial for government officials who involves in policy development. He urged the participants to put into practice the knowledge they had acquired from the course, as good policies and good policy outcomes will be beneficial for, not only the MPNSCS and its two agencies alone, but also for the whole of Solomon Islands and its people.

MPNSCS Press