The only State disciplined forces in

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

are a unified national

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

force, with

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

and

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

powers, and the

coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

. Defense assistance is provided by Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The police force does not report to any ministers but rather directly to the

President of Kiribati The president of Kiribati ( gil, Beretitenti) is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati. Following a general election, by which citizens elect the members of the House of Assembly, members select from their midst "not less than 3 ...

Organization

The Kiribati Police Service is an independent body with one police officer for every 222 people (total staff over 500 with strength approximately 458 sworn members). Ioeru Tokantetaake is the current Commissioner of

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

(since 2004), and also presides over prisons in Kiribati.

Arms

The Kiribati Police Service carry scarce weapons. Drill purpose rifle are used for drills and some officers have been provided

AR-15 An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporatio ...

rifles.

Ranks

* Constable * Senior Constable/Corporal * Sergeant * Inspector * Assistant Superintendent * Superintendent * Deputy Commissioner * Commissioner

Stations

There are police stations on every inhabited island in Kiribati. Key police posts include: *

Betio Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll. Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964 ...

- also as headquarters for the police force *

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, * Bairiki- covers the area from Ambo village to

Bairiki Bairiki is a settlement in South Tarawa of Kiribati. The State House, the National Stadium, the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand as well as the embassy of China, and most of the Government Ministries are based in Bairiki. Bairiki is a ...

Village * Bikenibeu - covers the area from Taborio village to Causeway village * Bonriki - covers the area of Temwaiku and Bonriki village

Maritime Police

The police operate the RKS ''Teanoai'' (301), a

Pacific class patrol boat The Pacific class (also known as the Pacific Forum classToppan & Walsh, ''World Navies Today: Other Asia-Pacific Navies'' and the ASI 315 class) is a class of 22 patrol boats built by Australia and donated to twelve South Pacific countries. Th ...

provided to Kiribati by Australia as part of the Pacific Patrol Boat Program and delivered new in 1994. The vessel is registered and stationed in Tarawa.

Prisons

KPS is responsible for managing the prisons in Kiribati. There are 4 prisons in Kiribati with 3 for men and 1 for women. As of 2013, there are 141 persons detained in the system. Prison staff are members of the Kiribati Police Service. There are two prisons in Kiribati: * Walter Betio Prison in

* Ronton (London) Prison on

Kiritimati Island Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The name is derived from the English word "Christmas" written in Gilbertese according to its phonology ...

Emergency Services

Fire and rescue services are the responsibility of the KPS. In 2012 Japan donated a chemical pumper to Kiribati to be stationed in Betio to replace the role of the fire truck at

Bonriki International Airport Bonriki International Airport is an international airport in Kiribati, serving as the main gateway to the country. It is located in its capital, South Tarawa, which is a group of islets in the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, precisely on ...

on the other end of the island.

Guard of Honour

Select members of the KPS are selected to protect the President and other dignitaries.

References

External links

*http://police.gov.ki/ *https://www.webcitation.org/60qHzT2ws?url=http://www.transparency.org.au/documents/kiribati.pdf *https://web.archive.org/web/20070917061747/http://www.csa.nsw.gov.au/AJCSD.staff.Kiribati.htm *http://www.peacegallery.org/asiapacific/kiribati/kiribati06.htm *http://www.isiservicescorp.com/mjcpatch.html Law of Kiribati {{Kiribati-stub