Ministry of Justice and Koror State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the national and state law enforcement agencies to work closely together on the enforcement of national and state laws.
Due to the limited manpower of the national law enforcement body and the limited authority of state law enforcement, the Ministry of Justice through its Bureau of Public Safety and the Koror State Government through its Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement agreed through a memorandum of understanding to work together to enforce both state and national laws.
Currently, the states can use the civil process to enforce their laws while the national government can use the criminal process to enforce national laws.
The ultimate goal is for the states to have the ability to enforce national laws within their jurisdictions but this requires a change in the law, explained Director Jennifer Olgeriil of the Koror State Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement. In the meantime, this MOU will enable both organizations to work together and find the best way to reach that goal.
Director Ishmael Aguon of the Bureau of Public Safety said that limited police manpower currently restricts their coverage to mainly policing on land. He said they are now working to place a police officer in each state, preferably someone already living in that state to make it work.
Vice President and Minister of Justice Uduch Sengebau-Senior lauded Governor Eyos Rudimch and Koror State Director Olgeriil for the performance and caliber of the Koror State Rangers. She recognized Director Olgeriil’s efforts to increase the capacity of the Koror State Rangers.
βThe idea is that they (national police) will be partnering up with the Koror Rangers to do this work of patrolling, monitoring, and surveillance on land and in the water around Koror,β expressed Vice President Uduch Sengebau-Senior of the collaboration with Koror State.