With assistance from the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, a collaborative team has successfully established Crime Prevention Maritime Security Committees across the nine tikinas of Kadavu. This initiative stems from the Community Policing-Vanua-Multi-agencies Crime Prevention and Maritime Security model, which was introduced by Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the Kadavu Provincial Council meeting in July.
The program, titled “Solesolevaki ni Veitaqomaki; Matanitu, Vanua kei na Lotu,” focuses on community policing and maritime security. It aims to empower coastal communities by integrating traditional authority and vanua governance, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of crime prevention and maritime safety efforts.
Through this comprehensive approach, 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—are collaborating to enable licensed boat operators and local residents to act as “eyes and ears at sea,” thereby improving monitoring of Fiji’s maritime domains. Kadavu has been chosen as the pilot region for this initiative.