Pacific Police Training Advisory Group

16TH November The first sitting of the Pacific Police Training Advisory Group (PPTAG) was held via virtual conferencing with Fiji’s Acting Commissioner and Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Chairman Rusiate Tudravu calling on Pacific Police leaders to find ways around the pandemic to enhance capacity development (training) programmes in the Pacific region.

The Pacific Police Training Advisory Group (PPTAG) operates under the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Policing umbrealla and its focus is to enhance capacity development (training) programmes in the Pacific region, with the key areas of focus being on Leadership, Ethics & Integrity and Investigations.

In opening the first 2020 session, PICP Chair Rusiate Tudravu said it has and continues to be a difficult and challenging year for most Pacific Island nations with the closure of borders restricting travel, however as Policing leaders they needed to adjust to the new norm.

“COVID-19 could have seriously harmed the delivery of priority areas outlined under PPTAG initiatives – however a lot had been achieved through the new norm having marked significant chapters in our PICP journey together virtually”.

The virtual meeting was attended by memebrs of the PICP Secretariat in New Zealand, Pacific Police Department Program Regional (PPDP-R) Acting Coordinator International Command Ms. Lautoa Faletau and her team, Australian Institute of Police Management’s Pacific Faculty of Policing Amanda McCormick and police leaders from the Australian Federal Police, Vanuatu, Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Tuvalu.

Also joining in from the Pacific Cyber Training Facility based at the Fiji Police Academy were members of the Corporal Qualifying Course to help them understand the importance of enhancing Pacific policing efforts in terms of training delivery.

A/CP Tudravu said it was encouraging to hear the country reports whereby training initiatives continued with the assistance of donor partners and urged leaders to be innovative and find ways around the pandemic. “We have a lot of home grown talent and resource personnel and groups who can help us address development training needs due to travel restrictions”.

“Training is a key area that cannot wait for a cure for the pandemic and we must constantly look for ways of addressing training needs to to suit the needs of Pacific policing”.

The PPTAG meets biannually to discuss progress and developments in training, as well as to the highlight the outstanding training needs and challenges that exist across the region. Ends