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Pacific Islands Chiefs of PoliceWorking towards "Safe and secure communities for all Pacific Island countries" |
2001 Communique30th SPCPC conferenceApia, Samoa Cooperation and Other Current Policing IssuesThe 30th South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference met in Apia, Samoa from 22 - 26 October 2001. Its theme "Cooperation and Other Current Policing Issues" proved to be totally appropriate given the tragic events in America on the 11 September. The Commissioners stood in silence out of respect for law enforcement officers and emergency service personnel who gave their lives in New York and pledged to work together in every way possible to assist countries to deal with this ever present threat to peace and stability. In opening the Conference the Honourable Prime Minister of Samoa and Minister of Police, Susuga Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi turned to this theme and underlined the need for cooperation amongst Pacific Nations in an effort to combat terrorism and to prevent attacks initiated from the region. The Prime Minister also emphasised the continued need for vigilance and action around crimes such as drug importation, paedophilia, people smuggling and money laundering. Delegates from American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu attended the conference. In addition observers from United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Canberra, South Pacific Islands Criminal Intelligence Network (SPICIN), The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Legal Attache Canberra, The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO). The conference noted that Pacific police organisations had worked hard to improve cooperation particularly over recent years. The South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference has become more output focused and has set in place successful inter-agency working groups to collaborate over such diverse issues as weapons control, drug legislation harmonisation, and creating better ways of collaboration in-country between various arms of law enforcement. The Commissioners agreed that cooperation and collaboration should know no boundaries. Several presentations highlighted more innovative ways of activating the support of partner agencies including a workshop with an active demonstration of an internet based policing data base, available to Pacific nations, which connects to the Interpol policing system. A number of participants have already subscribed to this system and others signed up at the conference. Samoa will be connected soon. Commissioners emphasised the importance of a free press to bolster democratic freedom within the region and the need for police to foster professional relationships between police staff and the media.. More training opportunities are proposed to facilitate this. The conference resolved that regional cooperation to fight crime ought not to be confined to law enforcement agencies but had to embrace all facets of good government. Whilst police operational cooperation is extremely important in the fight against crime and terrorism, the importance of political backing underpinning law enforcement was emphasised. The 1992 Honiara Declaration on Law Enforcement Cooperation set in place a requirement for Pacific countries to create new law, or harmonise their laws in the area of money laundering, forfeiture of assets of the proceeds of crime, mutual assistance in criminal matters and extradition. It was noted that some countries had still not made sufficient progress in these areas and the conference urged in the strongest terms, the need for better legislative prioritisation as a major way of preventing organised criminal groups from targeting the region. In addition, the compliance with United Nations Resolutions on prevention of terrorism and the United Nations Convention on Transnational Crime was also discussed and will be recommended to governments. It was noted that the cost of offending in areas such as people smuggling, drug smuggling, serious fraud, money laundering and official corruption, are extremely high in investigative effort, actual loss and ultimately and most seriously the loss of a country's reputation. Regional financial institutions were urged to co-operate as fully as possible with law enforcement in an effort to deter money laundering and other serious financial crime. A series of administrative remits to assist and speed up inter-agency co-operation were adopted and new working group arrangements were discussed which will allow more immediate response to regional law enforcement challenges. In thanking their host, Commissioner of Police Asi Blakelock for providing such a magnificent venue and conference, the South Pacific Chiefs of Police Commissioners resolved that the Conference had been a positive and practical spring board to more effective and cooperative crime fighting into the future. Archives:
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