Regional Economic Crime Investigation Training

With the evolving criminal landscape aided by technology, law enforcement needs to be smart on its enforcement.

This was highlighted by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime (ACP), Mesake Waqa at the opening of the Economic Crime Investigation Training facilitated by the Australian Federal Police Law Enforcement Program, at the Holiday Inn this morning.

“The Fiji Police Force has benefitted from this program under the Vuvale partnership that resulted in the improvement and upgrading of our co-operation, administration, and investigative capabilities to be on par with modern day policing with the use of science and technology together with capacity building,” said ACP Waqa.

ACP Waqa said the Fiji Police Force is grateful to the Australian Government for its commitment to the Pacific Region in partnership with the Australian Federal Police Law Enforcement Cooperation Program.

He says fighting economic crime is not easy at all levels as it is technically complicated and requires capacity, financial resources, and stakeholders’ engagement.

“You would agree with me that nations worldwide are grappling with loss of resources at an alarming rate through illegal activities, largely composed through illicit financial flows, tax evasion, corruption, computer-rated pilferage, to mention but a few.”

Australian Federal Police’s Law Enforcement Program (LECP) Australia Federal Police Liaison Officer Paul Everingham said it was encouraging to have officers from Pacific Island countries who are involved in transnational crimes.

Mr Everingham said participants of this workshop were from Vanuatu Tuvalu Solomon Islands Nauru, Kiribati and Samoa.

He hoped that participants would enjoy the program and learn as much as they can during the three day workshop.