LAST week marked the opening of two additional leaf huts—one at Tetere Police Station on the Guadalcanal plains and the other at Henderson Police Station in East Honiara.
According to RSIPF Media the new structures aim to provide a neutral ground at both stations, offering a safe environment for community members to convene and address issues constructively. Situated adjacent to the stations, these huts also serve as informal meeting spaces for officers to engage with the community and, when necessary, facilitate dispute resolutions.
Local contractors, utilizing indigenous materials, constructed these huts with support from the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF)-Australian Federal Police (AFP) Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP).
Chief Superintendent Rodney Kuma, Guadalcanal’s Provincial Police Commander (PPC), commended RAPPP for its support, emphasizing that these huts are community-owned spaces intended for the resolution of local concerns.
Chief Supt. Kuma stressed the neutrality of these huts, underscoring their role as spaces where community members can bring forth their issues in pursuit of amicable solutions. The recently delivered hut to Henderson Police Station is particularly timely, given the upcoming influx of people expected during the Pacific Games in November.
Supt. Adam McCormack, AFP Advisor, highlighted the commitment to fostering robust connections between the police and the community through the policing partnership with RSIPF. He stated that these leaf huts symbolize more than mere physical structures—they embody a connection to the community.
Notably, a RAPPP-funded leaf hut was inaugurated earlier at Naha Police Station in East Honiara, with plans for additional openings in other RSIPF police stations in the near future. This initiative is part of the AFP’s broader commitment to supporting the RSIPF’s infrastructure needs.
