Solomons police beseeched to unite amid reports of split

Transcript

Solomon Islands police are being urged to remain united, amid reports of a split in the force and ongoing uncertainty around the departure of the former police commissioner, John Lansley.

The Briton's contract finished at the start of the month after a year in the job and it is still unclear why his application to have it renewed was turned down.

In the meantime, the assistant commissioner, Juanita Matanga, is acting in the position Mr Lansley is replaced.

Annell Husband reports:

Reports in the Solomon Star newspaper of a split in the police force over the Mr Lansley's departure met flat denial from the acting commissioner, Ms Matanga.

MATANGA: Policing is not split, policing is not divided. We are continuing to maintain our stand as police officers, that we are here to do work. And our job is to ensure that our community lives in safety and harmony.

Ms Matanga also dismissed the newspaper's report of a threat issued by the Senior and Subordinates Police Officers Association, or SPOA, of a 14-day sit-in protest if a new commissioner isn't appointed within three months.

MATANGA: They are not going to do anything as such. And they have given me the assurance that they will continue to do their job as police officers. Because you must understand the SPOA are police officers themselves. And we have sworn in as police officers to maintain law and order for this country.

The secretary of SPOA, Maxwell Saelea, declined to take part in a recorded interview, saying the association's focussing on police unity and maintaining law and order. But he told me that despite it being the mandate of the police executive to appoint an acting commissioner, the prime minister's office appointed Juanita Matanga. Mr Saelea says Ms Matanga is not senior enough to have stepped into the role, and SPOA doesn't want politics to be involved in a permanent appointment to the position. The president of a group that represents the interests of people from Malaita province says there are foreign forces involved in the non-renewal of Mr Lansley's contract. Malaita Ma'asina Forum's Charles Dausabea says when William Morrell, another former police commissioner who was also British, left the job, the Australian government made sure an Australian was appointed.

DAUSABEA: So that's the basis on which we believe it's the same force that are up again, because we believe - and I believe personally -  that Australia is really interested in keeping the post so that they can continue on with what they intended to do in this country.

Mr Dausabea says the public was told the Police and Prison Service Commission had given Mr Lansley three months in which to hand over to a successor - and that's what should have happened.

DAUSABEA: It cannot be just acted as if it's a casual job or it's a kind of a job that you normally do at Ports Authority Area. And it reflects that there are certain influences and supports behind this move to get Lansley out from the Commissioner of Police so that that area can be given to somebody else.

The Police and Prison Service Commission's chairman, Eliam Tangirongo, also declined to take part in a recorded interview. But he says the prime minister's office overrode the commission's application for Mr Lansley's tenure to be extended by three months.