More than 40 Provincial Police Commanders and Directors of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, attended and completed a week of Strategic Planning Workshop in Honiara from 9th of August 2009 to the 15th of August 2009.

The workshop was arranged for the leaders and managers of the RSIPF with particular focus on leadership roles and business planning, reporting and performance management.

As part of the training workshop, Provincial Commanders and Directors were given the opportunity to review the goals and aims of the RSIPF for 2010.

This is the first time for the RSIPF to embark on such collective planning and proceed on to come up with an Annual Business Plan.

The police leaders deliberated on key issues that promote development in the organisation. The discussion also highlighted developments and achievements within the RSIPF.

They also discussed and set down strategic goals that were projected by Police Commanders and Directors from stations and operational units across the organisation. These plans were incorporated into the RSIPF Annual Business Plan.

One important aspect of policing is serving the community and the RSIPF has initiated a strategic plan to improve community confidence in the police.

It is visualized that by the end of the plan with a starting point next year, community confidence in the RSIPF will have risen by six percent. It is expected that community visits will have increased by 20 percent by the completion of this plan.

A police and community partnership initiative is in progress and will be on trial in selected locations. Targeted communities will identify a representative who will be conducting minor policing duties in their community.

The community officer will be selected by the community but will be given the basic necessary training by police.

This initiative is purposely to reach out to the community and promote the presence of police in the communities.