President Aingimea highlights police pride, safety, changes to sex offender laws at police parade
REPUBLIC OF
NAURU
Government Information Office
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, 30 June 2020
President Aingimea highlights
police pride, safety, changes to sex offender laws at police
parade
President Lionel Aingimea addressed members of the Nauru Police
Force (NPF) and the crowd assembled to witness the first of a
series of police parade and discipline sequence at the government
office complex, emphasising police pride, public safety and changes
to be expected in sex offender laws, 30 June.
The president said the new era of the professional Nauru Police
Force will be an era where wearing the police uniform brings pride
to those who wear it, as well as advancement through hard work and
academic diligence, but also a worthwhile career path that will
mean being an NPF officer "you are Nauru's finest."
President Aingimea said 1 July marks a new direction, new
strategic plan and new vision for the NPF and their foundational
work that "falls within the ambit of the motto to 'serve and
protect' is safety."
"The safety of the public, the safety of property, the safety of
the police officer should always be the foundational imperatives in
our duty of serving and protecting," the president said, then
referenced a motorcyclist driving without a helmet.
"That person has broken the law.
"To allow a person to drive without a helmet is to jeopardise
the safety of the public, in particular, that person."
The president said the overall safety principle is the genesis
of the laws that the government will be changing, in particular,
two "major changes" to laws relating to sex offences.
"The new laws will include and not limited to making it
extremely difficult if you are a sex offender, to be bailed. That
any remand period is not to be taken as a discount in any
sentence."
The due process of laws governing juvenile sex offenders will
also change whereby being a juvenile will no longer be an element
of mitigation.
In a strongly-termed example, President Aingimea said a juvenile
who can "drive a motorbike and use that motorbike as a means of
enticing a young girl and then raping her is no juvenile."
"The sentences are lengthy enough on sex offenders but we will
take out all that which has been used by many to have a sex
offender walk away with a lighter jail term," the president
warned.
Tomorrow also marks the new special salary scale for teachers,
health care workers and police officers.
The government's overall vision for the NPF is to be the "best
officers, the most professional police officers, the most respected
police officers, and the most hard working police officers."
Laws will also be amended to ensure police officers are
protected in the execution of their duties, but there will also be
strict penalties for officers who abuse their power and "bring
disrepute to the uniform" and to fellow officers.
Recruitment will also change, elevating the minimum school
leaving level and advancement in pay and rank based on years of
experience as well as qualification.
"Gone are the days of nepotism, deceit, dishonesty, unfair
practice, gone are the days of this being a job because I cannot
get another job elsewhere," the president said.
The 30 minute police parade and discipline sequence was
outfitted with 80 police officers including members of the brass
band. The parade will be a three-monthly event.
ENDS///
Issued by:
Nauru Government Information Office,
Republic of NAURU
Ph: +(674) 557 3009 E: gio.nauru@gmail.com / naurugovinfo@gmail.com / www.naurugov.nr