No One is Above the Law

No One is Above the Law

Police are reminding people that to live in peace they must work together to uphold the law.

On Tuesday a delegation of Solomon Islands and RAMSI police invited the Deputy Premier of Guadalcanal to travel to AvuAvu to assure the Villages Chief that we are working in support of their communities.

The Deputy Premier and police consulted with community leaders and local police about the best way to work together to apprehend criminals involved in murders and other serious crimes committed in the area.

RAMSI PPF Commander Denis McDermott emphasised the importance of working with Guadalcanal leaders.

“RAMSI officials met with the Premier of Guadalcanal Provincial Government on the day after the attack on the PPF officer, and have spoken with him since the latest investigation to apprehend the offenders,” Mr McDermott said.

“We will continue to talk with community leaders, and we trust they will help police bring these dangerous people before the courts.”

Mr McDermott said he agreed with the Premier’s comments that we should all work closer for the good of everyone.

“It is important that the community assist in every way possible to catch any offenders involved in crime. This will make the Solomon Islands a much safer and secure place for all to live.”

Mr McDermott said one of the main reasons that RAMSI was invited to Solomon Islands was to restore the rule of law.

“No-one is above the law, and the community and leaders need to come out strongly in support of police efforts to bring people who have broken the law to justice,” Mr McDermott said.

Mr McDermott said that communities of all villages in the Solomon Islands have nothing to fear from police when all they are attempting to do is apprehend offenders who have committed serious crimes.

“When the rule of law broke down, people lived in fear. Our job is now to support the SIPF, work with the community to keep people safe and assist police to carry out investigations.”

Acting Police Commissioner Peter Marshall rejected claims that the charges against people that hinder police investigations are unnecessary or culturally inappropriate.

“We are serious about responding to community concerns across Solomon Islands that people who committed very serious crimes during the tensions are yet to be brought to justice,” Marshall said.

After many years of investigation, we know who they are. Many attempts to catch them have failed because some people have helped them avoid arrest.

The actions of people helping criminals is defeating justice, and that is against Solomon Islands law.

Mr Marshall said that it was important to understand that one of the men responsible for the recent attack on a PPF officer also has an arrest warrant for the murder of three Solomon Islanders.

“Police have been looking for this man since 1999 and will no longer tolerate members of the community helping him to hide or escape from police,” Marshall said.

Mr Marshall said the Solomon Islands Police Force will continue to lead investigations with the support and advice of RAMSI’s PPF.

ENDS

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