The Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services (SPPCS) has entered five teams in the 13th annual Perimeter Relay this Saturday 28th August representing the largest Emergency Services field in the events history. The teams representing different sections of the SPPCS are on a mission to promote cyber safety and safe online attitude to the community by raising awareness of Cyber Safety Pasifika (CSP).
CSP which can be accessed at www.cybersafetypasifika.org is delivered by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and is a long standing forum of the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police. CSP aims to increase cyber safety awareness and education of vulnerable communities in the Pacific region with tips and fact sheets for kids, parents and teachers.
What began as a challenge to the Information Technology Team, initiated by Mission Commander of the Samoa Australia Policing Partnership (SAPP), Daniel Evans, almost six weeks ago has inspired additional teams for the Perimeter relay on Saturday and other individuals who are setting their sights on better health and possibly the challenge of next year’s event
Samoa Police Assistant CEO, Information Communication and Technology Angelo Chan Mow said “The annual Perimeter Relay has given police an opportunity to not only raise awareness about cyber safety but also focus on our health and fitness as a team through running together”.
Mission Commander Evans said that “Six weeks ago we started weekly training, with the team struggling to run 5km to now looking forward to tackling a 107km relay this weekend. They’ve made great progress and inspired their colleagues in the police force who have now also expressed their interest in competing which shows, more people want to improve their fitness.”
IT officer, Timothy Komiti of the Cyber Safety Pasifika Awareness team is a first time runner and says he’s ready to tackle the Perimeter relay after two years of absence from any kind of sport activity. Ironically, the 30 year old said he was half way through eating a moon pie when he accepted the running challenge and reports that after six weeks of training – he’s lost 5 kilos and “gained a new lease on life”.
“This whole experience has had a positive effect on my work – I sleep better and have more energy throughout the day which allows me to focus better on tasks. As a team, we’ve attempted to exercise together before but never managed to do it until now. Through running together and pushing each other to the finish line I can say that our team spirit and morale has never been this high. “
Mr Komiti and his colleagues in the Cyber Safety Pasifika Awareness team are part of the Samoa Police Cyber Safety Pasifika program that runs awareness workshops with schools and communities around Samoa and have recently trained new trainers to deliver their programmes.
Acting Commissioner Papalii Monalia Tiai-Keti said the Cyber Safety Pasifika program worked to “Ensure that the people of the Pacific will be safe and secure by providing the knowledge to navigate the digital landscape safely and responsibly, establishing strong legislation and policies, and enhancing Pacific Police investigation skills. The rise of online scams, frauds and cyber bulling is a threat to our security and peace in Samoa and the Pacific”.
She said “our goal is to get our message out to the communities and we see the Perimeter relay as another great platform to be visible especially to our young people and children so they are aware of our work educating everyone on how to stay safe online as well as being aware of the disadvantages of online connectivity particularly on social media and other inappropriate websites.”
To acknowledge and support the Samoa Police teams competing in the 2021 Perimeter, the Australian High Commissioner Emily Luck and Samoa Police Deputy Commissioner Auapa’au Logotino Filipo met with three of the five Samoa Police Prisons and Corrections Services teams on Tuesday to present them with their running singlets.
Auapa’au remarked that the teams representing Cyber Safety Pasifika were playing an important role in raising awareness in the communities along the relay course, complementing the training conducted last month and commended the members taking part in the event for not only raising an important public topic of cyber safety but also in raising the awareness of the importance of health and fitness.
H.E Emily Luck told the teams that she was thrilled to see two important agendas being promoted during the Perimeter Relay. Personal health and online safety are community issues that transcend borders and are a challenge for every country. She said “Australian Federal Police (AFP) members from the Samoa Australia Police Partnership, the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre and our Australian Defence Force running with our Samoa Police partners are a visual representation of the close friendship between our countries. They show how cyber security is one we need to tackle together”.
The Samoa Police will be represented by five (5) teams made up of three Cyber Safety Pasifika Teams, Prisons and Corrections and from the Police Maritime Unit at the 2021 Perimeter Relay on Saturday which starts at Sinalei Resort and finishes at the Taumeasina Island Resort. Each team consists of six (6) runners and 24 stages covering a total distance of 107 Kilometres.
Cyber Safety Pasifika’s top tips for staying safe
- Only talk to people on the internet who you know and trust.
- Personal information shouldn’t be shared on the internet.
- Set up secure privacy settings on all of your accounts.
- Use a strong password, keep it private and change it regularly.
- Don’t open emails from people you don’t know.
For more information, facts and tips go to www.cybersafetypasifika.org
ENDS
