INTERPOL Blue Pacific Project

A regional concept initiated by the Fiji Police Force, Australian Federal Police and New Zealand Police, the INTERPOL Blue Pacific Project aims to create the sustainable use of INTERPOL resources for increased information sharing in the Pacific region through capacity building and training interventions.

The concept had been in its consultative stages facilitated through the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police since 2022, was officially launched last month, with the first meeting of the Project streering committee held in Brisbane on the 22nd day of February in Brisbane, Australia attended by Fiji’s Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew and Director International Relations, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ulaiasi Ravula. This morning, the INTERPOL Fiji Office provided a brief to the Acting Commissioner on the roles and status of Fiji’s INTERPOL infrastructure with intentions for expansion.

The Fiji Police has been an active member of INTERPOL since 1971, and was involved in conceptualizing the initiative noting the growing threats of transnational organized crime, as well as the potential risks brought on by increased connectivity, increasing the region’s appeal as a transit and destination for organized criminal groups.

In keeping with the PICP vison of “Our Blue Pacific, Safer Together”, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu stand to benefit from the project. The Blue Pacific Project will run from the 1st January 2024 to the 31st December 2026, and is supported by the AFP, New Zealand Police, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.