There is an increased presence of police on the streets of the Solomon islands capital Honiara to allay fears among the public about current political developments there.
This comes amid concern that the current political impasse between supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare could trigger unrest like events which led to the April 2006 riots in Honiara's Chinatown.
The Solomons police commissioner, Jahir Khan, has confirmed that his force is assessing the political situation on a day-by-day basis.
He says that depending on the information they're getting from the field, police are being deployed accordingly.
"'One of the reasons why there was a hike in the police presence on the streets was because of the various activities that are going on currently on the political front. At the same time, this is a planned operation that we've put in place for the Christmas period. And so the beefing up of the police on the streets was basically just to reassure the people of their safety and security."
