Private Column by Frank Short, CBE

Who is Frank Short, CBE? | See all Entries of Frank Short, CBE

Frank Short is a British born Australian citizen.

He served as the Commissioner of Police in the Solomon Islands from 1997 to 1999.

As a young national service officer he was a member of the Corps of Royal Military Police in Hong Kong from 1959 to 1962 when he commanded an Anti-Vice Section, receiving commendations from the Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong and the Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police.

His later civil police career was spent in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Swaziland, Hong Kong, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), St Helena and Ascension Island and Bophuthatswana.

He was twice awarded 'Batons of Honour' during his early police career, the first when serving in the Northern Rhodesia Police (NRP) and the second as a member of the Royal Hong Kong Police (RHKP).

His appointments have included Head of the Training Wing of the Swaziland Police College,Public Prosecutor in Swaziland, Officer Commanding the Northern Police Division of the New Hebrides Constabulary, Santo, Chief of Police on the Island of St Helena, Registrar of the Supreme Court, St Helena, and Detective Inspector in the Special Branch of the Royal Hong Kong Police.

In Bophuthatswana, as a contracted British Adviser, he lectured on human rights and successfully commanded a Civil Claims department and a Complaints Against the Police office.

In 1995 he was appointed Senior Legal Administrative Officer to the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Safety and Security in the provincial government of the North West Province of South Africa.

In his role as Senior Legal Administrative Officer he continued his work as a human rights adviser and lecturer, working in close cooperation with staff from the Raoul Wallenburg University in Sweden and the University of Essex in the UK. He was also involved in the pre-planning work for the establishment of a South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In 1998 he was invited by the United States Army to address a Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS) in Manila, Philippines, on the role of "Leadership." This was the first occasion a police commissioner had been invited to address a gathering of senior international military officers from some 40 countries.

Since retiring as Commissioner of Police in July 1999, he has maintained a close relationship with the Solomon Islands and been a strong advocate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

He believes passionately in restorative justice and reconciliation for all the people of the Solomon Islands.

In recent years he has done voluntary teaching work in Thailand, including aiding socially disadvantaged young people.

He was appointed CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, 1999.

Policing a Clash of Cultures Part 12: Primary Duties of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force

Extract from memoirs

As will be found in another chapter, I wrote, paid for and issued a detailed Purpose and Direction Manual for the members of the Force to guide them in their daily duties.

In talks given to the community during visits to locations bordering Honiara, such as St Joseph’s Mission, or Kola Hill, or when talking to students at schools and colleges, addressing Rotary or when speaking with my police colleagues, I stressed the aims and objectives of the police service and the need for good public relations.

One explained the primary aim of the service was the prevention of crime; next the detection of offenders if a crime is committed. I also stressed the need for the protection of life and property and for maintaining the public peace.

It was explained how a police officer stands, as in the special relationship to a community. He or she undertakes special responsibilities in regard to the primary duties and generally holds a position of trust which is important to be able to maintain.

In support of my policy on public relations, I wrote the following order:

“It is the duty of every member of the RSIPF to cultivate good relations with all sections of the public, and always to bear in mind that, where such good relations do not exist, police officers work under a severe hardship and cannot be fully effective.

“In your dealings with the public, you are often required to exercise firmness, and sometimes obliged to resort to force in carrying out your duty. Firmness, however, must be guided by tact, patience and good humour, and any force used must be the minimum necessary to secure compliance with the law.

“You, as, members of the Force, have special powers not possessed by the ordinary members of the public, and it is of the utmost importance that these powers should be carried out with discretion and tolerance. Harsh or oppressive conduct, incivility, and the use of unnecessary violence can in no circumstances by justified or tolerated and are punishable offences in police regulations.

“Arguments with the public on matters of duty must be avoided; it rarely convinces anyone and naturally irritates persons already having some real or imaginary grievance.

“All the members of the Force must constantly remember that one offender in this respect may give a bad name to the police generally, and that a display of bad temper, or the harsh or oppressive use of authority, by one police officer may have adverse effects of a far-reaching nature on the Force as a whole.

“The best type of police officer is, when on duty, always alert, observant, firm but good humoured and, importantly, impartial in all his dealings with the public.”

The members of the National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force (NRSF) had specific operational duties to perform, which will be outlaid in detail in a further chapter, but the members of the NRSF were, at all times, guided by the requirements of my orders and requirements for the cultivation of good public relations.

To be continued

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Frank Short, CBE and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Solomon Times Online.