Fiji and the United Kingdom have opened talks to deepen cooperation against transnational crime following a high-level meeting at the Fiji Police Force headquarters in Suva. Representatives from the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) met with Fiji’s Commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu, to discuss stepped-up operational links, intelligence sharing and training designed to bolster Fiji’s capacity to tackle cross-border criminal networks.
The NCA delegation was led by Kanbar Hossein-Bor and included executives Daniel Newell and Laura Boon, accompanied by a senior official from the British High Commission. Officials said the discussions focused on practical areas of cooperation where UK expertise could support Fiji’s responses to emerging threats, notably child exploitation investigations, cybercrime, intelligence exchange and leadership development for police personnel. Delegates also explored the possibility of study visits and other hands-on capacity-building initiatives to transfer skills and institutional know-how.
Hossein-Bor reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s continued support for Fiji, noting that law enforcement agencies globally face increasingly complex security challenges driven by transnational criminal activity. Commissioner Tudravu welcomed the outreach, saying greater collaboration and the sharing of intelligence and operational experience are “vital” to responding effectively to organised crime networks that operate across borders. Both sides signalled interest in converting discussions into concrete training and operational links where feasible.
The meeting also highlighted existing UK-Fiji ties in policing development. Fijian officers have previously participated in UK-run training, including leadership programmes at the UK College of Policing, and the NCA supports regional initiatives such as INTERPOL Project Blue Pacific. That programme aims to strengthen regional policing capabilities by enabling law enforcement agencies in the Pacific to use INTERPOL resources more sustainably to improve information sharing and coordinated responses to regional crime threats.
This engagement with the NCA follows a pattern of growing international cooperation centred on Fiji’s efforts to counter transnational crime. In recent months Fiji has hosted delegations from other partners, including a visit by senior Australian Federal Police officials to discuss intelligence cooperation and operational support. Fiji’s police leadership has emphasised that collaboration with international partners is central to tackling issues such as illicit drug trafficking, cyber-enabled offences and exploitation that increasingly exploit the Pacific as a transit corridor.
Officials did not announce specific new programmes or funding commitments at the end of the meeting, but described the talks as an initial step toward deeper operational ties. The emphasis on child exploitation, cybercrime and leadership development reflects both evolving criminal threats and a prioritisation of building local investigative and protective capacity so Fiji can better prevent and respond to offences that have cross-border dimensions.
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