2 Apr 2009

Poor policing a factor in 2006 Solomons riot

4:23 pm on 2 April 2009

A report into the riots in the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, in 2006 has found that poor policing was one of its causes.

The Commission of Inquiry report catalogues a series of failures by the Solomon Islands Police that resulted in a breakdown in security in Honiara on the morning of the riots

These include a lack of credible intelligence information, equipment, and organisational ability.

The Solomon Islands police force has declined to comment on the report until it considers if fully.

But our correspondent Dorothy Wickham says its one finding that's likely to find favour.

"Solomon Islanders would be satisfied with at least that one aspect of the report, which was very clear and firm on the fact that RAMSI Police and Royal Solomon Islands Police failed to stop or to contain the riot when it was just starting to happen outside parliament. It basically said that the Royal Solomon Islands Police did not do its duty."

The report finds there was a lack of coordination between the Solomon Islands Police and RAMSI, which had superior resources.