AFP’s strong bonds in the Pacific
Editor’s Note: Images from Fiji available via Hightail
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw APM has met with fellow Pacific Police Chiefs and Commissioners in Fiji this week, further strengthening Australia’s partnerships with law enforcement agencies in the region.
It is the first time since 2019 the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) has held its annual conference in-person because of COVID restrictions.
The event provided an opportunity to celebrate more than 50 years of the PICP, a collective of 21 Pacific policing jurisdictions, and its joint efforts to build safer and more secure communities in the Pacific. Member nations also marked the milestone 20th anniversary of the Pacific Transnational Crime Network (PTCN) and the 10th anniversary of the Cyber Safety Pasifika (CSP) Program.
Commissioner Kershaw said sharing intelligence, expertise and resources among Pacific law enforcement agencies, including through the PTCN and CSP, was vital for helping to protect Australians and improve the security of communities throughout the region.
“Criminals are not restricted by borders, but neither are law enforcement agencies,” he said.
“The seizure of 990 kilograms of methamphetamine off Australia’s coast in 2020, the haul of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in Papua New Guinea in 2020 and the interception of a similar amount of cocaine in the Solomon Islands in 2018, are examples of what we can achieve when we share operational intelligence and work collaboratively.
“The shipments were stopped before they could reach their Australian destinations and cause immense community harm. The investigations also resulted in arrests in Australia and other Pacific countries of alleged offenders whose activities cause problems locally, as well as internationally.
“Transnational crime syndicates using Pacific nations as a transit point for illicit commodities intended for Australia bring the risk of violence and intimidation, and they can subvert the financial system in those countries through access to illicit funds.
“The PICP is committed to tackling this challenge as a Pacific family. The PICP and its associated programs, including the PTCN, are guided by the vision of ‘our Blue Pacific, safer together’.”
The theme of this year’s PICP conference is workforce wellbeing and resilience. During COVID, many officers in the region were also tasked with protecting communities from health-related issues – such as the movement of people from COVID hotspots – as well as traditional crimes.
During the official opening, the Honourable Inia Seruiratu, Fijian Minister for Defence, National Security and Policing, highlighted the importance of international partnerships for addressing shared threats and integration in global security arrangements, including emphasising that ‘combatting transnational crime demands transnational cooperation’.
Minister Seruiratu also linked the operational effectiveness of Pacific police organisations with the wellbeing of police officers, including both physical and mental health.
“We must treat the physical and emotional wellbeing of police seriously and ensure our officers are protected and supported,” Minister Seruiratu said.
The current Chair of the PICP, Commissioner of the Fiji Police Force Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho, reflected on the achievements of the PICP.
“The PICP has worked together to make our Blue Pacific safer and more secure, and we should be proud,” he said. “We appreciate the support of our partners to talanoa, collaborate and build capability ‘by the Pacific, for the Pacific’. “The values of the PICP – respect, fairness, trust, honesty, accountability, and accepting and valuing diversity – have taken us through the past 50 years, and will take us forward over the next 50 years.”
The AFP has more than 100 personnel based in nine nations across the Pacific region, in addition to supporting a range of regional capability development programs.
Background regarding the PTCN and CSP:
Established in 2002, the PTCN is a Pacific-led initiative that provides proactive criminal intelligence and investigative capability to combat transnational crime in the Pacific. The PTCN uses a multi-agency and regional approach to target transnational crime, encompassing Police, Immigration, Customs and other law enforcement and border agencies. The PTCN consists of 28 Transnational Crime Units (TCUs) based in 20 Pacific Island countries and the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre (PTCCC) in Samoa. The AFP has advisors to the PTCCC and to TCUs in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The PTCCC coordinates information-sharing across the Pacific, including real-time alerts on suspicious vessel movements, drug seizures and illicit financial flows.
CSP aims to increase cyber safety awareness of communities in the region, enhance the abilities of Pacific police officers to investigate and disrupt cybercrimes, and help to establish networks between local law enforcement, social media companies and other agencies.
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