The Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C.) has leased eight acres of land in Tafa'igata to the Ministry of Police for the establishment of Samoa's Police Academy.

This was confirmed by the Corporation's Chief Executive Officer, Ulugia Petelo Kavesi, during an interview with Samoa Observer.

“It is true," he said. "Part of the land at Tafa’igata has been allocated for the Police Academy, and this is per Cabinet directive. Eight acres have been leased to the Police. The lease is for 20 years and then it is subject for renewal." 

He said Tafa’igata prison is located on a 118 acres and the Corporation has bigger plans to convert it into a residential area and an agriculture development. 

Asked about the monetary value of the lease, Ulugia declined to divulge that information. 

“We haven’t finalized the cost of the lease. Once the prison is relocated to Tanumalala we will be able to move forward with surveying the land.”

Pressed for an estimated monetary value of the eight acre lease, the C.E.O. said it is premature to comment at this stage.

“We are leasing this land to another Government entity and we have not set a price for the lease,” said Ulugia. 

The C.E.O. gave the assurance that the Ministry of Police will pay their lease to the S.L.C. 

This newspaper contacted the Commissioner of Police, Fuiavaili’ili Egon Keil, to check whether eight acres is sufficient for the proposed project. 

But there has been no response from the Office of the Police Commissioner at the time of going to press. 

In 2017 the Ministry of Police hosted a delegation from the Agency for International Economic Cooperation of China (M.O.F.C.O.M.) to expand discussions on the much-anticipated Samoa Police Academy. 

According to a media statement issued by the Police, there were discussions with the delegation and a site visit of the proposed location for the academy. 

“We continue to find ways to enhance our contribution to the safety and security of Samoa and professionalizing career pathways in policing,” said the Police Press statement.

The design specification plan for the new Samoa Police Academy Project was revealed in 2018. 

This was done in Shanghai, China when the Chinese government and representatives from Samoa finalised the project, according to a statement from the Police.

The Police Academy Project is envisioned to be a multi-agency training center, with a view for a regional center of excellence for policing in the Pacific region. 

The Samoa Police Academy will be built at Tafa'igata mid-2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2021. The first of its kind in Samoa, the Samoa Police Academy is envisioned as a multi-agency training centre, with a view for a regional center of excellence for policing in the Pacific region.