Crime in Solomon Islands

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is the national policing agency in Solomon Islands. It protects life and property, prevents and investigates crime, apprehends suspects, assists court proceedings, resolves disputes and supports community safety through provincial commands, stations and posts in Honiara and the nine provinces. Response can take longer outside Honiara because of distance, maritime transport, staffing and communications limits. The latest nationally identified RSIPF offence table records 3,114 reports for 2019: Honiara 1,631, Guadalcanal 571, Makira-Ulawa 242, Western 217, Temotu 161, Choiseul 122, Central 88, Isabel 64, Malaita 18 and Renbel 0. The categories were traffic offences 939, assault 517, theft, fraud and robbery 383, other crimes 280, disturbance or disorderly behaviour 242, property offences 233, domestic violence 190, liquor offences 138, sexual assault 95, drug offences 63, arson 23, murder 9 and corruption 2. The report also records 3,225 cases investigated, including older cases, and 1,045 detected cases. Of the 190 domestic-violence reports, 176 resulted in charges before court; the difference includes cases resolved outside the formal court system. These figures should not be used to calculate current national prevalence or recent trends. Family violence and gender-based violence remain major practical safety concerns. Illegal alcohol, including kwaso, family violence, youth-related risks, drugs, environmental and resource pressures and emerging issues are the five drivers identified in the Crime Prevention Strategy 2023–2027. RSIPF community policing, provincial Crime Prevention Committees, local chiefs, church leaders, women leaders and youth groups use problem-solving methods and the scanning, analysis, response and assessment model to address local risks. Community by-laws, such as those used in Tangarare and Makira, can support local prevention but do not automatically replace national police or court procedures. Making, selling or possessing kwaso is described in RSIPF notices as an offence under the Liquor Act. Avoid self-help enforcement, threats, rumours and false accusations; a community response should not expose anyone to retaliation or obstruct a formal investigation. A crime can be reported through the RSIPF Communication Centre, which operates 24 hours a day. Call 999 for an emergency. The latest RSIPF contact information identifies +677 23666 for non-emergency matters and +677 23800 for general enquiries. Give the incident type, location, time and any immediate danger, then contact the nearest police station or the relevant provincial police post. Common provincial hubs include Honiara and Rove, Auki, KiraKira, Buala, Lata, Gizo, Taro, Tulagi and Tingoa. A Solomon Islands Government victim-support page lists +677 23999 for police enquiries, creating a conflict with the RSIPF contact page; verify the number before relying on it. No official crime-reporting fee was identified in the available information. Victims can seek support without treating a police report as the only first step. Safe Net, reached at 132, operates 24 hours a day and connects services from RSIPF, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the Police Support Office, the Family Support Centre, the Christian Care Centre and the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs. Seif Ples at +677 24677 provides 24-hour crisis response, emergency accommodation, medical aid, psychological first aid, referral and help facilitating STI or HIV post-exposure treatment. Other identified services include the Family Support Centre at +677 20619 or +677 26999, the Christian Care Centre at +677 36319, MHMS Social Welfare at +677 20569, the Gender-Based Violence Unit at +677 20686, the Integrated Mental Health Clinic at +677 20690, the National Referral Hospital at +677 23601, the RSIPF Family Violence Unit at +677 20023, the Sexual Assault Unit at +677 21226, SIPPA at +677 23954 or +677 22991 and the Police Support Office at +677 28406 or +677 22348. Regional coverage is not uniform, so transport and communication arrangements may affect access. Under the Family Protection Act 2014, police may issue a Police Safety Notice when a domestic relationship exists, there are reasonable grounds to believe domestic violence has occurred or is threatened and urgent protection is needed or a Protection Order cannot be obtained promptly. The notice may be issued without the affected person’s consent and generally lasts 21 days; one extension of up to 21 days is possible only in exceptional circumstances. Standard conditions prohibit further domestic violence and firearm possession. Additional conditions can prohibit entering a place, approaching or contacting a protected person and possessing weapons. Police must support an application for a Protection Order. The Magistrates Court deals with Protection Orders, while an authorised justice can issue an interim order. A safety notice does not remove the police duty to investigate or prosecute possible offences. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions handles prosecution. Victims should receive privacy where possible, courtesy, compassion and respect, and may have a prosecutor conference before giving evidence. Prosecutors consider the victim’s views, but those views do not determine the prosecution decision. The Public Solicitor’s Office provides independent constitutional legal aid through its Criminal Division and Family Protection Unit when eligibility requirements are met. Eligibility can depend on financial circumstances, the legal problem, age, disability and communication barriers; court fees and transport costs may still arise. Legal-aid offices identified in the research are in Honiara, Auki and Gizo. Digital crime is an emerging area. A 2026 memorandum of understanding between Solomon Islands Computer Emergency Response Team (SICERT) and RSIPF provides for joint incident response, cybercrime investigations, information sharing, digital forensics and training. The available local sources do not conclusively establish the current status of a national Cyber Act, and no comprehensive formal cybercrime statistics or separate national victim portal were identified. School cyber-safety work by RSIPF, SICERT and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force cyber-safety programme reached 19 schools and about 2,750 students in one 2024 report; a later RSIPF statement reported more than 10,000 people reached. Do not share passwords or personal data with unknown contacts, arrange offline meetings with online contacts without safeguards or assume that deleted posts disappear permanently. Young people make up about 70 percent of the population under the cited RSIPF 2024 estimate, and youth issues are one of the five crime drivers in the national prevention strategy. Schools, the National Community Policing Department, the Honiara Youth Council and youth groups support prevention focused on alcohol, drugs, family violence, cyberbullying, online risks and constructive activities. No separate national youth-crime hotline or special reporting structure was identified. In Honiara, petty theft, break-ins, robbery and sexual assault risks are identified as higher around isolated places and after dark. Official security guidance has identified contexts including the Central Market, local beaches, White River, Lungga Bridge, Sun Valley, Mataniko Bridge, Burns Creek and Henderson. Women travelling alone may face particular vulnerability. Lock doors, windows and vehicles, keep valuables discreet, avoid walking alone after dark and use registered taxis or established transport. Political unrest and public holidays can change local risks quickly. Disaster response, unexploded ordnance and consumer-protection matters belong to adjacent topics unless they directly involve an immediate crime or personal-safety issue.