THE head of the Australian-led peacekeeping effort in the Solomon Islands has defended its handling of the Honiara riots.

He was commenting after the new government announced an investigation into whether Australian police commanders acted negligently.

James Batley said today an inquiry would be a matter for the government.

But he said Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and Solomons police overall acted commendably and with distinction during the April 18-19 upheaval

"The unrest is a matter of significant public concern, if the government wants to look at it in that way that's the prerogative of the government," he told AAP.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare yesterday said his government would appoint a commission of inquiry to look at the handling of the riots following concerns Australian commanders were "caught with their pants down".

"There was no preparation whatsoever, it was total negligence," he said.

The riots destroyed most of Honiara's Chinatown and many other Chinese businesses.

Some Chinese businessmen have complained that police did little to protect their properties.

More than 20 Australian Federal Police officers were injured but no lives were lost.

Commanders said their forces were up against large mobs at different places across the city.

They said they made a decision to protect lives not property and there were strong indications the unrest was co-ordinated and fuelled by instigators for their own purposes.

Several arrests have been made including those of two government MPs now in jail on charges of inciting the riots.

Batley said he did not think anyone anticipated the intensity of the violence.

"No one can predict the future, I don't think people predicted when the coups happened in Fiji over the years," he said.

"There's a distinction to be made between understanding a climate of opinion and predicting whether specific events are going to take place.

"I don't think there's any doubt there's a current of feeling against Chinese in this country. I don't think there's any doubt there's a lack of respect for political leaders in this country.

"But I don't think you could have put that together and said therefore this was going to happen on the 18th and 19th of April, I think that would be drawing a very long bow.

"My understanding is that overall the Solomon Islands police and the participating police both performed commendably and with distinction."

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer defended RAMSI police during a visit to Honiara on Saturday, saying it was a RAMSI success to quell the riots.

"Do not fall into the trap of starting to blame someone else for who is responsible for those riots," he told radio listeners.

"RAMSI was not responsible for the riots. The crooks were responsible for the riots.

"The Australian police showed enormous courage out of their own country, in a foreign country protecting foreign people and I'm tremendously proud of them."