Dear Editor

Last night's attack on five members of the RSIP and PPF personnel is to be condemmed in the strongest terms.

It is hoped the injured police officers, some said to be in a serious condition, will soon improve and they will make a complete recovery. It is hoped, too, the culprits involved in the attack will be quickly identified and brought to justice.

I fear, however, the incident last night was but a wider manifestation of the entrenched social conditions prevailing at Koa Hill and which need to be examined and addressed urgently to prevent further outbreaks of trouble there, or in other similar over-urbanised, over populated "squatter" like locations bordering Honiara.
The police services, regrettably, are now at the receiving end of "residents" frustrations and they are likely to suffer similar incidents unless the deeper root causes of the people's problems are resolved.

Yours sincerely,
Frank Short