Commissioner Vuriaru Robson N. Iavro began his career with the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) in 1994. From his first position as a platoon commander in the Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), Commissioner Iavro quickly gained experience across a range of areas and began moving up the VPF ranks.
Spanning more than two decades of experience, Commissioner lavro has held a number of senior appointments within the VPF including, Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Commissioner of Police, Adjutant to the Commandeer of the VMF, Chief of Staff, Director of the Vanuatu Police Training College, and the Director of the Corporate Service.
In 2015, Commissioner Iavro was promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed Commander of the VMF. After twice serving as the Acting Commissioner of Police, for a cumulative total of more than three years between 2016 and 2021, lavro was formally appointed VPF Commissioner in June 2021.
Combining both a deep grounding in the day-to-day realities of policing in Vanuatu and an academic background in public policy, Commissioner Iavro’s experience and perspective allows him to demonstrate authentic and adaptive leadership, while meeting the complex challenges associated with the current strategic environment.
As Commissioner, he leads an expanding VPF that delivers policing services to communities across Vanuatu’s diverse geography. As part of his efforts to drive organisational improvements and inform future VPF planning and prioritisation, in 2022 he commissioned an independent Organisational Performance Study (OPS) that provided a comprehensive overview of the VPF’s capabilities and functions.
Throughout his term, Commissioner lavro has utilised these, and other insights, to drive a widespread reform programme, with a particular focus on the implementation of an ambitious decentralisation strategy, increasing logistical support to remote stations, improving police standards and resources and strengthening relationships with key donors and partners.
As part of his vision to enhance policing services to all communities across Vanuatu, Commissioner lavro has also placed significant emphasis on gender equality, increasing capacity across the force’s different units, including through the recent negotiation of VMF redevelopment projects, the development of VPF detachments.
Alongside his VPF achievements, Commissioner lavro has played a central role in the Vanuatu government’s efforts to strengthen national security and sovereignty. As one of the primary coauthors, Commissioner lavro was instrumental in the establishment of Vanuatu’s first National Security Strategy in 2019, and he formulated the foundational policy papers for the National Security Council Act in 2020.
Commissioner Iavro holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of the South Pacific and a master’s degree in public policy from the Australian National University (ANU). Commissioner lavro as also completed defence and security courses Internationally and has undertaken deployments to Bougainville (1997) and East Timor (2000-2001).
