By: Jasmine Netzler-Iose
The much-anticipated official opening of the Samoa Police Prisons and Corrections Services’ (SPPCS) Police Academy at the old Tafaigata Prison grounds is undergoing its final safety inspections in preparation for its grand opening next month. Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo confirmed this in an exclusive interview with the Savali Newspaper early this morning.
According to Auapaau, the final checks include inspections of electrical wiring, water systems, and other features to ensure they meet building standards before the facility can be handed over.
A groundbreaking ceremony held in October 2022 marked the beginning of construction for this project, which is funded by the People’s Republic of China. Samoa’s contribution is WST$1,152,494, making up part of the total estimated cost of WST$16,652,494. The Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Corporation is overseeing the construction of the academy, which spans 16 acres.
The training facility will include training and teaching classrooms, an academy office, an operations training venue, accommodations, an equipment room, watching stands, a roofed sports field, and auxiliary facilities such as defensive driving training grounds. The academy aims to be a multi-agency training center to develop police knowledge for upholding the law and ensuring the safety of the people of Samoa.
During the groundbreaking ceremony in 2022, Minister of Police, Prisons and Corrections Services Faualo Harry Jeffrey Schuster stated that the academy would have a curriculum designed to produce officers with internationally recognized standards and academic qualifications.
It is anticipated that once completed, the training institute will be available not only to the police but also to other government ministries. The academy is designed by the Shanghai Architecture Engineering company. If the current inspections are successful, the official handover is expected to take place in August this year.
