Solomons' police under review

By Phil Mercer BBC, Sydney

Australian-led peacekeepers in the Solomon Islands have begun a major review of the country's police force.

The Solomons' police force, which effectively collapsed under the weight of ethnic fighting and the lawlessness it unleashed, is having to be rebuilt from scratch.

Corruption destroyed much of the respect the community once had for the force. Loyal officers were no match for the armed militants that controlled much of the country before the peacekeepers arrived in August.

The international intervention force is slowly restoring order

There is no doubt the tide has turned. Order is being restored.

There are more than 2,000 foreign military and police personnel on duty in the Solomon Islands.

In the past week, four local police officers, including an inspector, have been arrested and charged with serious offences, among them abduction and robbery.

The review of the force will cover 15 main areas of policing. The recruiting of more women is one, and ensuring that the various ethnic groups are represented is another.

Long-term project

There will be public consultation, and the process will take years rather than months.

The aim is to ensure the police in the Solomon Islands can be effective when the peacekeepers leave.

Investigations into alleged atrocities carried out by militant gangs are continuing.

Three bodies have been exhumed on the remote Weather Coast, once the stronghold of the former rebel leader Harold Keke. He appeared in court earlier this month charged with murdering a parliamentarian.