10 police officers to leave for tour of duty under UN mission in South Sudan
A contingent of ten officers led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Unaisi Vuniwaqa will depart for a year of the tour of duty under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) this Saturday.
Currently, there are sixteen Police officers serving in three mission areas namely the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and UNMISS.
The group presented their i-tatau to the Commissioner of Police Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho and senior officers this morning at headquarters in Laucala.
The head of the organisation said he was particularly proud to see five women officers as members of the contingent.
QILIHO: “This is the first time such a high number of women officers are part of any contingent and this makes me happy that more women are confidently stepping up to the challenge of serving overseas.”
On the same token, he reminded all the officers that live in the mission field can be challenging, and the eyes of not only the nation but the world would be on them.
QILIHO: “You are diplomats to an extent. What you do as an individual has a reflection throughout the world, the report goes to the United Nations where all countries have representation.”
“And if you think you do something there and it won’t be known, no, that report will go to many tables in the UN and it spreads and we will end up getting a bad reputation so be humble and serve with the utmost level of professionalism.”
Contingent commander ACP Unaisi Vuniwaqa who will be serving on her second overseas mission said she was looking forward to leading the group.
VUNIWAQA: “It will be the first time I will be taking a contingent that has more women numbers, and I expect challenges may present themselves especially with our roles as mothers and trying to manage our families from across the ocean, however, we will work together as a team to overcome them.”
Of the nine-member contingent, ACP Vuniwaqa will be the lone officer who has had previous experience in serving on a mission.
VUNIWAQA: “I have been stressing that communication is the most important part of preparation because it’s the glue that keeps the family together.”
The Commissioner of Police assured his officers that their families will be looked after and will ensure they are visited by the Force Chaplain and Sergeant Major on a quarterly basis.