PMF receives assistance from AFP

The Fiji Police Mobile Force received assistance from the Australian Federal Police in the form of Public Order Management (POM) equipment yesterday.

Handing over the equipment to the Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew was the AFP’s Commander Pacific Phillippa Connell who reaffirmed the AFP’s commitment in working with the Fiji Police Force, noting the enduring partnerships between the two institutions.

Commander Connell was accorded a quarter guard ceremony of welcome upon her arrival, before a brief overview of the role of the PMF as the FPF’s tactical unit was provided.

The AFP Commander assured the Acting Commissioner of Police of the AFP's continued assistance and looked forward to dialogue further on specific areas of cooperation.

The Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew said “Today’s handing over is again testament to the enduring partnership under the Vuvale and Solesolvaki partnerships at both the government and institutional levels.”

“The equipment will not only assist our officers in the conduct of their work, but will augur well with boosting Fiji’s reputation of delivering specialized training in the field of public order management, for the region. I want to again reaffirm our commitment to the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI) whereby we stand ready to assist under the three pillars, noting that we have been putting into practice, proof of concept in supporting efforts of enhancing regional policing capabilities.”

 The Acting Commissioner said the equipment will aid Fiji’s endeavour of responding to shared peace and security challenges in the region, as stipulated under Pillar two of the PPI, of a multinational pacific police response capability to respond to Pacific nations’ requests for assistance

In October 2022, the AFP and FPF signed the Solesolevaki Memorandum of Understanding strengthening partnerships in addressing security vulnerabilities not only between the two countries, but the Pacific region.