Lau susuga i le Ta’ita’i o le Sauniga, Inspector Filipo Iloilo
Honorable Minister of Police, Prisons & Corrections Lau Afioga Ti’alavea Leniu Tionisio Hunt
Associate Minister of Police, Prisons & Corrections Lau Afioga Lenata’i Victor Fa’afo’i Tamapua
Australian High Commissioner, H.E Sara Moriarty
Ambassador for The People’s Republic of China, H.E Chao Xiaoliang
Superintendent Steve Mewburn of the Australian Federal Police, Samoa Australian Police Partnership
Australian Navy Maritime Surveillance Advisor, Lieutenant Commander Andrew Dobb
Australian Defense Technical Advisor, Chief Petty Officer Chris Marsh
Executive Staff of SPPCS
Distinguished guests, families and friends of our graduates.
Talofa, Talofa lava I wish to take this opportunity to highlight in summary a Class Report for the Police
Graduating Class of 2021.
This certainly brings back great memories for me of when I graduated from the Los Angeles Police
Department in 1995, a long time ago.
Though it was a memorable experience, it took hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and true commitment
to get through the rigorous and demanding LAPD Academy.
That said, these new police officers have gone through a similar experience as I did.
They have pulled through the toughest, most comprehensive and demanding recruit selection and
recruit course programs ever offered by the Samoa Police Service. For example, when the positions for
new police officers and Prison Guards (Custody Officers) were advertised, we received 599 applications
(505 for police and 94 for prison); however, after a strict screen down process 317 made the short listing
and were permitted to go through the four phased Recruitment Selection Program.
Some of the things we examined during the screen down process were their background, personal and
work history, whether or not they had a criminal record using our updated National Criminal History
database, Education, Medical History, Character References, Communications Skills, English Reading,
Writing, and Comprehension, Computer skills, and a complex, critical thinking panel interview, to name
only a few.
And after this grueling vetting process, out of the 317 who were shortlisted, only 53 (49 police
applicants and 4 prison guard applicants) made the final cut and were subsequently admitted into the
17 Week Basic Recruit Course Program, we call the police academy.
However, along the way, and this is a normal occurrence, we lost 4 due to various reasons. But I am
happy to say that standing before you today are 49 well qualified police graduates (45 police officers
and 4 Prison guards).
All 49 have been sworn in by a Court judge last Friday. For some statistical information, 24 of the
graduates are males and 25 are females.
8 are from the big island of Savaii.
The eldest is a 35 years old female and the youngest–a 21 year old male.
Education wise, 1 has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the National University of Samoa (NUS); 1 has
diploma of Education from NUS; 28 hold certificates from the NUS. And the rest are high school
graduates. As you can see, in an effort to increase professionalism, accountability, and esprit de corps
within the Samoa Police, we have advocated for higher standards by focusing our recruitment efforts on
candidates with higher educational qualifications and those with high ethical standards.
In the academy, the recruits were taught a wide range of subjects and we made it as comprehensive as
possible, encapsulating training and best practices from regional and international arenas.
The Training Modules covered in this Samoa Qualification Authority (SQA) approved 17 week Basic
Recruit Course were:
➢ Introduction to Policing and Pacific Policing; ➢ Human and Constitutional Rights of people; ➢ Ethics
and Responsibility; ➢ Relevant UN Convention stipulations; ➢ Public Relations; ➢ Community
Awareness and Relations ➢ Crime Scene Protocols ➢ Evidence Collection ➢ Crimes and Investigations
➢ General Police Procedures; ➢ Use of Force Policy ➢ Operational Safety and Public Order
Management ➢ Various legislations and regulations (Family Safety Act, Crimes Act, Police Powers Act,
Criminal Procedures Act, Evidence Act, Proceeds of Crime, etc) ➢ Media Relations ➢ Law Enforcement
Best Practices ➢ Police Pro Database System ➢ File and Court Preparation ➢ Policing Communication;
and this is just to name a few.
We also included in their training what is being practiced, tested, and proven in other law enforcements
agencies in the Pacific region and in the international arena.
Further, not only were they required to pass strict written examinations, they were also required to pass
practical applications of these concepts and principles through table top exercises and roll playing. In
addition, they were taught Arrest and Control techniques, career survival skills, police tactics and were
required to pass a basic physical fitness test.
Cultural sensitivity and race diversity training were also introduced, including a block on how to interact
with the mentally ill.
I would like to thank and acknowledge Doctor George Tuitama from NHS for his assistance in this
specialised discipline. To enhance the program by giving it a real life feel and practical flavor, outside
entities were asked to participate in the learning process.
I would like to thank the Office of the Attorney General, the ministry of Justice and Courts, the Fire
Service, National Health Services, Office of the Ombudsman, Sa moa Returnee Charitable Trust,
Immigration, Red Cross, Quarantine, Customs, the Pacific Transnational Crime Network, Pacific
Transnational Crime Coordination Centre, and the Australian Federal Police and all our stakeholders and
partners for your valuable and continuous support and contributions in sharing your technical
knowledge and expertise in developing our country’s law enforcement capability.
From experience, fresh and varied perspectives improve and add value to any organisation. As you can
surmise, these new officers went through a vigorous, demanding, and comprehensive set of carefully
crafted instructions to get this far.
This was purposely done to ensure each officer is mentally and physically fit, prepared and equipped to
tackle the many challenges they will certainly face in the field.
To the new police officers and prison guards, do not forget the oath of office that you voluntarily took.
Do not take it lightly.
They are NOT just words; they actually mean something.
Do not forget the expectations and promises that you have made to me (your Commissioner) and our
organisation.
Use the police powers entrusted to you by the people of Samoa to help those in need. Perform your
duties with honor and integrity as instilled in you by our Samoan culture.
Remember our 3 Ds— Do your job; Document; Discipline. Do not play favorites; do not look for personal
gain.
But be brave, be honest, be gracious, and most of all be a great public servant. And finally, always watch
over one another in the frontline and remember to strive for excellence by polishing our gold—our
image.
And you all know what I mean by that. I wish you all the very best. God bless Samoa. God bless the
Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Service.
Faafetai and Manuia