Policing Ministry plans to enhance maritime presence

Fiji's Ministry of Policing is confronting significant hurdles in effectively policing its extensive maritime zones, particularly in the fight against transnational crime like drug trafficking. Permanent Secretary for Policing Berenado Daveta highlighted that Fiji's vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), spanning 1.3 million square kilometers, poses substantial operational difficulties for law enforcement. The police force currently depends heavily on the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Navy to monitor and secure these waters.

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We’re talking about Maritime security. Our EEZ is 1.3 million km², police are more land-bound in operations, but a bit of maritime division, but only a small component of it. We rely on the navy to be doing the policing of our maritime waters, especially the EEZ.

Daveta explained that while the police have a maritime division, it is a small component, and they rely on the navy for policing activities within Fiji's waters, especially the EEZ. Discussions are in progress to bolster collaboration with the Fiji Navy and establish dedicated police maritime bases in key locations across the country. The goal is to equip these bases with patrol boats to enhance surveillance within territorial waters, complementing the navy's role in patrolling the EEZ.

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And we’re hoping that we will also have the support to get some boats and have a full base, let’s say Lakeba, in Savusavu, Levuka and Denarau, so they can patrol those areas while the Military or the Navy patrol outside territorial waters and into the EEZ.

These concerns were raised during the Pacific Peace Dialogue, a forum that addressed regional security threats and the escalating impact of transnational crime. Former policing diplomat Ross Arden underscored the growing danger posed by illicit drugs, particularly methamphetamine, across the Pacific. He warned of an increasing convergence between organized crime and human security issues in the region, noting the rise of HIV alongside drug use. The dialogue stressed the critical need for strengthened regional cooperation and coordinated strategies among Pacific nations to effectively combat drug trafficking, organized crime, and emerging security challenges.

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Our Pacific communities now face an ever-growing prospect of serious harm from the illicit use of drugs and meth in particular, with the rise of HIV, we’re seeing an unprecedented merging of transnational crime threat with the major human security threat.