 |
Pacific Islands Chiefs of PoliceWorking towards "Safe and secure communities for all Pacific Island countries" |
2002 Communique31st SPCPC conferenceRarotonga, 7-11 October 2002 Combating Terrorism, Organised Crime, Sex CrimesThe 31st South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference met in Rarotonga, Cook Islands from 7 - 11 October 2002. Its theme "Combating Terrorism, Organised Crime, Sex Crimes" was an appropriate follow up to last year's theme on "Cooperation and other Policing Issues". The region, in its attempt to improve its state of preparedness on combating terrorism, organised crime and sex crimes needed to discuss current threats and methods of countering those threats. In opening the Conference the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Police Sir Geoffrey Henry, KBE elaborated on the theme of the Conference and called for social justice and equity to prevail as major preventative strategies to combat terrorism. Delegates from American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga attended the Conference. In addition observers attended from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA Canberra), South Pacific Islands Criminal Intelligence Network (SPICIN), United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI Canberra), Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), INTERPOL, Pacific Islands Law Officers Meeting (PILOM) and Pacific Islands Immigration Directors' Conference (PIDC). The conference agreed that distance and relative geographic isolation were factors which in the past gave some protection to the region. However, better transport, telecommunications and less restrictive border controls provided real opportunities for criminals to exploit Pacific Island countries and potentially to use them as safe havens or transit points. One of the greatest threats to the Region is that as other countries strengthen efforts to combat organised crime and terrorism, without a coordinated effort to do the same, the Pacific could become vulnerable to the activities of these criminal groups. It is important that capability be developed across the region so that no one country provides the weak link to allow the Pacific to become a breeding ground for organised crime or terrorism or even a place of respite for those involved in such activity. Specific transnational and organised crime threats that have real potential to impact on the region include drug and people smuggling, money laundering, cyber crime and terrorism. To combat this the Conference renewed its determination to increase law enforcement cooperation particularly in the area of the exchange of criminal intelligence and training. One key area which delegates resolved to take action was assisting their jurisdictions to achieve speedy adoption of the Pacific Island Forum's Nasonini Declaration. This calls for early adoption of United Nationals Security Council Resolution 1373 and the Financial Action Task Force Special Recommendations including associated financial reporting requirements. The Conference resolved to advocate early adoption of these recommendations in an effort to facilitate law enforcement cooperation around the region and to cut off potential funding sources for terrorists. The Conference also agreed to work together over the next year to assist all States to advance towards full cooperation in these areas. Transnational crime remains a major problem for the region. The growing manufacture and trade in amphetamine type substances (ATS) is causing policing agencies real and increasing concern. These drugs in all their forms are having major impacts in South East Asia and major seizures have occurred in Australia and New Zealand. The conference expressed concern that the trend may be starting to spread to some Pacific Island countries. The implications of this are significant in terms of growing addiction rates, increasing incidence of violent crime, easy and extremely profitable manufacture and health concerns for law enforcement officers charged with dealing with the dangerous substances found in clandestine laboratories. A related concern is the major environmental impact risk associated with the furtive disposal of cocktails of highly toxic chemicals involved in ATS production. The Conference resolved to cooperate more fully and ensure that communities and policy makers became more aware of the serious threats ATS posed. People smuggling was also recognised by the Conference as a growing transnational organised crime in the region. A number of Pacific Island jurisdictions are already being used as transit or destination points for illegal migrants and people smugglers. The Conference noted the need for the Pacific region to be prepared for potential mass arrivals of illegal migrants and resolved to develop harmonised law enforcement contingency plans for dealing with mass arrivals. The exploitation of women in the sex industry was of particular concern to the Conference. In a number of Pacific Island jurisdictions, many sex workers are taken from their country of origin on exploitative contracts, which bond them to unscrupulous employers. It was noted that in some countries the vice market had strong connections with organised crime and that this caused growing problems in public health, other sex offences, exploitation of minors, paedophilia and other serious crimes. The Conference noted the trends in this area and resolved to develop a model code for the harmonisation of legislation to cover crimes of this type and to document best policing practice in this area for other member countries to consider. Delegates thanked their host, Commissioner of Police Pira Wichman for providing a beautiful venue for the Conference. The South Pacific Chiefs of Police resolved that the Conference had demonstrated a renewed intent to work together to deal with shared problems and to do all in its power to help member states develop appropriate laws and strategies to further crime prevention. Next year's conference will be held in Brisbane, Australia. Archives:
|