Honiara, Solomon Islands: The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) -funded 2009 People’s Survey results showed 88 percent of respondents support the regional mission’s presence in the country.

This result is similar to the 2008 survey.

About 5035 people were interviewed using questionnaires in the survey carried out by 64 interviewers.

The survey results revealed five percent of the people interviewed did not support the presence of RAMSI, while seven percent did not know.

Fifty-three percent said violence would return to Solomon Islands if RAMSI left soon and 30 percent said, ‘maybe’.

The survey also showed that 75 per cent believed that one of the main ways RAMSI helps Solomon Islands is ‘keep the peace’, 48% said ‘improving law and justice’, 33% said, ‘arrest criminals’, 22% said ‘help run the country’ and 15% said, ‘provide technical assistance’.

In terms of law and order the survey found 31% said their community was safe and peaceful, 56% said there were sometimes problems and 12% said there were many problems. Thirty-one per cent said law and order in their community had improved in the past year, 53% said it was the same and 14% said it was worse.

Thirty-three percent of the respondents were most worried by the crime of stealing/theft/robbery, followed by drink related crimes (48%), murder (30%) and violence (26%).