APEC security preparations going well

APEC security preparations for both the police and defence force are going well.

While more training is planned for this year before the month of November, Police Commissioner Gari Baki and the Commanding Officer of the 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment say they will be ready.

1RPIR Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Boniface Aruma, says: “We started training for APEC preparations last year. Towards the end of last year we culminated with a conventional exercise.

“Conventional exercise is fundamental because it is important that before we transition into stability operations and urban operations, soldiers need to understand and be competent in their conventional warfare.

“That’s why we started the operation last year and did all the conventional stuff.”

He said commencing Monday the 12 of February, soldiers will begin the stability operations training and urban security operations, including some combat shooting at the range.

“Basically the training is to operate or run security operations in urban areas.”

He said support from bilateral partners have been overwhelming and they are open to receiving any support they can to assist them with preparations towards APEC.

“We understand that we cannot do this task in isolation or on our own. That’s why we’ll be leaning on our partners to help us where there is shortfall to close the gap.

“We are open to support from our bilateral partners and international friends and that is very important.

“We must not try to approach this single-mindedly; all the support we can get, the better.”

Police will be taking the leading role in security operations during APEC and Commissioner Baki is confident his men and women will do an outstanding job, just as they did in the 2017 National General Elections.

Baki said: “We are well into the aspects of our planning. We are now having consultations with the foreign security details coming in.

“Security arrangements for any world leaders coming into or going into foreign country will be entirely different from the way we look at it so we have to appreciate and understand how they see it from their perspective and then relate to the way we plan our security to ensure they are properly accorded the requirements once they get into the country.”

Author: 
Press release