Police and residents of the Burns Creek community in East Honiara started the first day of April with a fun day.
Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) officers and members of the RSIPF & AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP) visited the community and interacted with members of the community to deliver crime prevention and awareness talks, staged games for adults and children in the community, provided a barbeque and served light refreshments for residents, and presented gifts to the community.
The visit, which aligned with the wishes of Burns Creek leaders to work closely with the RSIPF in fighting crime in the community, is part of the RSIPF and RAPPP community engagement program that focuses on crime prevention, emerging crime trends, and community concerns.
Earlier, Burns Creek chief John Seti Iromea pledged that they will work closely with the RSIPF to keep peace and order in their community.
Chief Iromea also revealed that their community has formed a community policing group, and the group has developed by-laws that will be used to govern their community.
During the fun day event, a mother from Burns Creek, Shirley David, said she felt a sense of relief when their leaders stood up and tried to deal with these issues in their community.
Shirley is the only female who volunteered to join the Burns Creek community policing committee. As a mother in the community, Shirley spoke about her experience growing up at Burns Creek.
According to Shirley, her father was one of the first people to settle at Burns Creek. Shirley was a baby when her parents moved and settled at Burns Creek. She was brought up to see Levers Solomon Limited (LSL) coconut trees and the clean Lungga River.
They used to fetch water from the river for washing, cooking, and even drinking. Today, many of LSL’s coconut trees are gone, and the river is not safe for cooking and drinking.
Shirley, who is now 37 years old, said the main thing she noted about their community is its fast-growing population.
She said many babies are born in their community, and many people who entered and settled at Burns Creek also invited their family members, wantoks, and friends.
Shirley said things have changed over the years, and as a mother, her main concern is her safety and the safety of their girls when moving around the community.
She said alcohol consumption and a decline in respect toward other people have given rise to a lot of issues in their community.
“When we move around and see people drinking alcohol, we are concerned because we don’t know what these people are thinking about,” Shirley said.
She said lawlessness and antisocial behavior have rifted their community, which is why she is excited to be part of efforts to address these issues.
Shirley said they have drawn up by-laws that are being registered with the RSIPF, which means those who breach these by-laws are liable to be arrested by the RSIPF and face charges.
She said she dreams of witnessing peace and order in their community like what she witnessed before.
– RSIPF
