A multi-agency team, supported by the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, has successfully established Crime Prevention Maritime Security Committees in the nine tikinas of Kadavu. This initiative is part of the Community Policing-Vanua-Multi-agencies Crime Prevention and Maritime Security model introduced by Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the Kadavu Provincial Council meeting in July.
The initiative, titled “Solesolevaki ni Veitaqomaki; Matanitu, Vanua kei na Lotu,” aims to empower coastal communities by incorporating traditional governance mechanisms and community policing strategies to enhance crime prevention and maritime security.
By collaborating with various stakeholders, including the Republic of Fiji Navy, Fiji Police Force, Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, Fiji Revenue and Customs Service, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Kadavu Provincial Council, the initiative encourages licensed boat operators and local community members to play an active role in monitoring Fiji’s maritime regions. Kadavu has been chosen to pilot this holistic approach.