Bethany Alvaro 
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the conference will have a key focus on “illicit commodities” being trafficked within the Pacific region and will be held in Fiji next May.
The summit will explore emerging areas of organised criminal threats to Australia and the wider Pacific community, with cyber crime being highlighted, alongside illegal substance trafficking, money laundering, foreign interference and environmental crime.
“A number of organised crime networks are likely to continue to import multiple tonnes of illicit commodities to Australia, and this means the AFP with our Pacific counterparts must supercharge how we target organised crime,” Commissioner Barrett said.
“The intent of the conference is to strengthen ties with law enforcement partners and gain an understanding of the challenges and threats across the Pacific region and globally.
“It is envisaged the summit will also bring together health, government and non-government agency representatives to find solutions to the organised crime challenges.
“The best solutions for the Pacific come from Pacific leaders and we will work together to keep our region safe.”
There are a range of existing cyber-focused initiatives the AFP supports to help combat Pacific digital threats, with this summit being an additive to the work already underway.
Cyber Safety Pasifika is an AFP-sponsored program led by the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police that trains Pacific police in cyber crime investigations and online safety awareness, training officers in cyber awareness, investigative techniques and community outreach. It has been successful across Fiji, Niue, Cook Islands, Tonga, Palau and New Caledonia.
“We cannot afford to let this be just another summit and must ensure there are tangible outcomes that we can use to guide our collective way forward,” said Fiji Police Force Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu.
“We do hope that the summit will assist in changing mindsets, from what is traditionally perceived as a law enforcement only issue to one where stakeholders realise that they, too, have a part to play in curbing transnational crimes.”
The summit is designed as a regional law enforcement forum, seeking to bring together officials from across the Pacific, Five Eyes law enforcement partners and international agencies such as INTERPOL and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.