BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
FORMER police inspector bomb disposal expert, Michael Barry Makaraiara, who served in the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force – bomb disposal unit for 25 years formed ‘Safe Signal’ after leaving the police.
Hailed from Makira Ulawa province, Makaraiara earned his qualification from the School of Defence Military Engineering in Australia.
He previously held senior posts within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) during his time in the Force. He served as a senior inspector at the police stations at Naha, White River, and Central Police Headquarters at Rove in Honiara where he held the role of RSIPF Logistics Director.
Michael started ‘Safe Signal’ as a local business firm in November 2018.
Now as an owner and manager of the company, his business deals with survey and clearance of Unexploded ordinances (UXOs) and remnants on land and underwater.
Michael told Environment media that his idea to start the business ‘Safe Signal’ is because of his qualification and expertise to address the risks associated with UXOs hazards in the country.
“What motivated me is the qualification. I am qualified to do the work. We all know that our place is contaminated with the remanent of war so we need someone to do the work, but where is that somebody.
“That’s what encourages me to quit my previous job and do the business. Most importantly it is a matter of how we live and help people from the dangers of UXOs,” he said.
He also clarified that since (at the moment) the police are not involved in commercial clearance, I have decided to step out and help the government, its employees, and donors when proposing major developments in the country.
Last year, ‘Safe Signal’ was contracted by the Solomon Islands government to conduct a UXOs survey and clearance at Solomon Islands National University’s (SINU) Kukum Campus in Honiara, the proposed site set for the dormitory of the 2023 Pacific Games XVII village.
He said they are also armed with the latest technologies to detect UXOs and remnants on land at the depth of over 8 meters.
“We have the latest detection machines. Our latest version at the moment is called foster locater and SENSYS Magnetometers (SBL 10) which can detect objects within 8 meters or below.
“The detectors not only detect bombs detect metals and any other object as well. Our job is to dig, assess, and confirmed whether the object is a UXOs, bomb, or just a metal where we have unearthed it and clear the area.
“After that, I will provide what is called QC (Internal Quality Control) and internal QA (Quality Assurance) and then provide a report, pass the site, and handed over to the developer,’’ he added.
