Pacific Detector Dog Programme closing

"We must work together to ensure the Pacific is not the destination for illicit drugs."

This was the plea made by the Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu whilst referring to a UNODC report highlighting the threats of transnational crimes for the Pacific region during the closing of the one week New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs supported Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP) in Nadi on Thursday 12th June 2025.

Regional countries part of the PDDP include Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea, and also attending the meeting were officials from the Australian Border Force

The Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP), is a regional collaborative initiative funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and managed by New Zealand Police with support from New Zealand Customs Service.

The Fiji Detector Dog Unit (FDDU) component is a partnership between the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) collaborating to enhance the operational effectiveness of border enforcement and detection capabilities.

The Commissioner of Police said, “The Pacific has long been known as the transit region, but now we are being classified as the destination, and we must not allow this to become too problematic to a point that law enforcement is overwhelmed.”

"Fiji has always been supportive of the PDDP because we recognize that we can not fight this alone. Collective urgency for action in addressing security threats is needed through various means, and the PDDP has proven to be a success story.”

The PDDP assists member countries with the training of dog handlers, supplies highly trained detector dogs, and builds capacity in leadership, operational systems, legal enforcement, and prosecution related to the detection of illicit substances, particularly narcotics.

Samoa Police, Prisons & Corrections Services Fiji Revenue and Customs Service Tonga Police New Zealand Police