Two more speedboats will be donated to Solomon Islands police by Australia next month as the country further tightens security along its maritime border with Papua New Guinea.
Solomon Islands police boat. Photo: Royal Solomon Islands Police Force
This was revealed by the Solomon Islands Minister of Police, National Security and Corrections, on the floor of parliament on Wednesday.
Anthony Veke was contributing to the debate on a motion to extend the country's State of Public Emergency by four months.
Veke said with the increase of Covid-19 cases in Papua New Guinea, securing the country's western border was an immediate priority.
"Border Security, particularly [at] the Solomon Islands PNG border, is important more than ever to be tightened up given the high risks of infections from PNG into our borders and my ministry and other law enforcement agencies are prioritising our operations at the border."
Veke said the biggest difficulty for police was a lack of watercraft and other mobility assets to patrol the border.
He said the two new boats would be a welcome boost.