Thirty-one Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have arrived in Solomon Islands for a three-week joint training exercise with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), aimed at strengthening the country’s policing capabilities.
The latest Exercise Coastwatchers began on August 31 and will run until September 23, with training to be conducted in Honiara and several provinces.
Coastwatchers is the main joint training exercise between the ADF and RSIPF. It is developed with the RSIPF to respond to the policing needs identified by the Solomon Islands Government and the police force.
The exercise will build on skills developed during previous Coastwatchers exercises, with participants taking part in more advanced and complex training scenarios.
A key component will be an Advanced Small Boats course, covering boat maintenance, navigation and operational skills. Participants will deploy to several provinces as they progress towards becoming small-boat operators, instructors and team leaders.
Photo Credits: AHC
The ADF will also provide training on Parrot drones to support RSIPF officers conducting border surveillance from the newly opened Western Border Outpost.
Other training will cover advanced medical response, administration, vehicle maintenance and logistics.
The medical training will strengthen officers’ ability to respond to emergencies and provide first aid, while administration training will focus on records management and organisational processes.
Vehicle maintenance and logistics training will help improve the reliability of RSIPF vehicles and ensure equipment reaches officers when and where it is needed.
Australia’s Acting Defence Adviser to Solomon Islands, Brett Verity, said the exercise demonstrated the strength of the security partnership between the two countries.
“Exercise Coastwatchers is an important training activity we conduct in Solomon Islands which delivers practical skills that support the RSIPF in its day-to-day operations and long-term capability development,” Verity said.
Photo Credits: AHC
He said the exercise reflected Australia’s commitment to working with Solomon Islands to strengthen policing capabilities and security.
“Most importantly, Exercise Coastwatchers is building the capability of the RSIPF to protect the people, resources, and security of the Solomon Islands,” he added.
Verity said the ADF personnel taking part were looking forward to returning to Solomon Islands and working alongside their RSIPF counterparts.
The exercise is also designed to develop RSIPF members who can eventually train other officers, helping the police force build and maintain its own capabilities.
Exercise Coastwatchers will continue across Solomon Islands until September 23.
You must be logged in to post a comment.