Constable Chris Renata from Auckland was on a routine foot patrol four kilometers from a jungle outpost on the southern coast of Guadalcanal when he was set upon by the mob.
Renata and another officer were visiting a jungle medical clinic as part of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands.
Police believe one of the attackers is wanted for a murder committed during the Solomons crisis that led to the RAMSI deployment in 2003.
Superintendent Stu Wildon of the international support group at Police National Headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, confirmed Renata was slashed on the leg by a machete.
“While the injury is serious it is not life-threatening. Constable Renata has been flown to Honiara where he is receiving surgery for the injury,” he said in a written statement.
“Police reinforcements and military support have been sent to the area to search for and apprehend the offenders,” he added. “We are just very relieved that Constable Renata’s injuries are not more serious than they are.”
New Zealand has about 35 police officers on duty as part of the multi-agency mission to maintain law and order in the Pacific island nation following years of ethnic unrest.
