The deputy special co-ordinator of the regional assistance mission to Solomon Islands, Wayne Higgins, says a very low crime rate is a reflection of the country's stability.
A final contingent of New Zealand soldiers serving under RAMSI has handed over to an Australian platoon, the start of a military withdrawal almost 10 years after the multinational force went in to restore law and order to a country gripped by ethnic conflict.
The decision to withdraw the soldiers by July next year is still to be formally approved by the governments of New Zealand and Australia, but is widely expected to go through.
Mr Higgins says the decision to withdraw the soldiers is based on the level of security.
"There have been only ten verified incidents gun crime in nine years which is remarkably low compared to even our own countries."
RAMSI's deputy special co-ordinator, Wayne Higgins.
