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Pacific Islands Chiefs of PoliceWorking towards "Safe and secure communities for all Pacific Island countries" |
2004 Communiqué33rd annual meeting of the South Pacific Chiefs of Police ConferenceTonga, 28 August - 3 September 2004. Safe and Secure Communities - Contributing to Peace in Our RegionThe Annual meeting of the 33RD South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference was held in Nuku'alofa, Tonga from 28 August - 2 September 2004. The theme for the Conference was "Safe and Secure Communities - Contributing to Peace in Our Region". The Conference affirmed that the successful development of peaceful communities is achieved through the exchange of information and cooperation and collaboration through capacity building and other initiatives. This recognised the importance of continuing development of the strategies agreed on at the Brisbane conference to combat the threat of the manufacturing, trafficking and use of amphetamine type substances in the South Pacific. The Police Chiefs reflected on the challenges to law enforcement raised by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General in his keynote address. The conference recognised the necessity to enable sustainable development within the region by focussing on establishing security in communities through the fair and consistent application of the rule of law. There was comprehensive discussion on the continuing threat posed to communities by transnational organised crime. A range of measures and new initiatives were discussed to enable members to combat this threat. The Conference commended the initiative taken in establishing the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre and the Transnational Crime Unit network and noted this as an example of how Conference members promote cooperation at the operational level. Police involvement in international peacekeeping operations was discussed. The Conference agreed to progress the concept of a regional approach to peacekeeping operations in consultation with relevant stakeholders and endorsed the successes of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) as an excellent example of the benefits obtained by a regional style of approach. The conference noted the risks to the Pacific posed by HIV/AIDS in the context of policing and agreed on strategies to address this risk. The Conference endorsed the concept of the SPCPC Womens' Advisory Network (WAN) as a vehicle for enhancing the role of women in policing in the South Pacific and invited the Womens' Advisory Network spokeswoman to attend future annual meetings as an observer. The Conference reviewed progress on the implementation of the SPCPC strategic plan. It applauded the decisions taken to enhance the capacity of the SPCPC Secretariat which will enable the SPCPC to project its role in the region as a key contributor to peaceful communities. Archives:
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