RSIPF maintains patrol at the SI/PNG border

Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Maritime as well as Immigration officers have conducted a long range observation patrol along the Solomon Islands – Papua New Guinea border to make sure no one from the communities living on both sides of the common border crosses the border.

 At the same time officers of the RSIPF Police Response Team (PRT) made an inter-island reconnaissance patrol from Kulitanai as far as Nusave and Ovau in the Shortland islands

The RSIPF and other law enforcement agencies have increased their presence at the Solomon Islands – Papua New Guinea common border region from the Shortland Islands, Choiseul Province and the Malaita Outer Islands to enforce the COVID-19 Emergency Order restricting the movement of small craft vessels across the common border region which became effective last Thursday 9 April 2020.

Director of the RSIPF National Response Department (NRD) Chief Superintendent Alfred Uiga says, “PRT and Provincial Response Unit (PRU) officers from the Western Province deployed to the border will need the support of frontline agencies including Health workers and other law enforcement agencies to deal with any person positive with the coronavirus crossing illegally from Bougainville.”

 “I strongly appeal to our people in the common border region from the Shortland Islands, Choiseul and the Malaita Outer Islands to report any sightings of any boats crossing from Solomon Islands side of the border or coming in from the PNG side to your nearest police station or calling the RSIPF National Communication Centre on the toll free line 999.”

“Let us all work together to enforce these Orders declared by our Government under the State of Public Emergency which was recently increased by National Parliament to four months. Despite the restrictive nature of these Orders on the normal lives of our people we must understand we are not living under normal times. All our lives are endangered by this killer COVID-19. Together with our Government we must stop this killer virus from entering our borders,” NRD Director Uiga emphasizes.