Pacific police ministers have agreed to a new regional mandate to deepen cooperation against mounting security threats, concluding the first-ever Pacific Police Ministers Summit hosted by Fiji and marking what organisers say is a major milestone for policing partnerships across the region.
Speaking after day one of the summit, Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua described the gathering as “history in the making” and said the commitment reached in Suva had created strong momentum for sustained collective action. “For Fiji to host such an important gathering like this, it’s a huge achievement for the government, for the people of Fiji, and especially for me as the minister responsible for policing,” Naivalurua told reporters, noting that the meeting drew delegations from 18 countries and included four prime ministers among those in attendance.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka gave the summit’s opening address, according to Naivalurua, setting out what ministers said was a clear direction for how policing leaders should respond to emerging regional threats. Delegates agreed the new mandate would move the Pacific beyond high-level dialogue toward coordinated action, with information sharing identified as a critical pillar underpinning efforts to tackle organised crime, transnational offending and other security risks that cross national boundaries.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who attended the summit, warned delegates that corruption and insider threats inside institutions remained among the region’s most serious vulnerabilities. “Information sharing remains critical in the fight against organised crime and stepping back from cooperation would only benefit criminal networks,” Burke said, adding that Australia “comes here as a member of the family wanting to provide what assistance we can but wanting to be able to work together, respecting the sovereign capability, respecting the sovereignty of every single country around that table and saying how can we work as one.”
Organisers said the mandate explicitly commits participants to bolstering mechanisms for intelligence and information exchange, and to translate policy discussions into practical measures. The summit’s agenda shifted on the second day to bring Police Commissioners together to start operationalising the ministers’ decisions — a move designed to turn political will into coordinated, on-the-ground activity across jurisdictions.
Delegates also announced that the ministers intend to sustain the initiative, with another summit already planned in a different Pacific nation next year. The pledge to rotate the meeting and to hold regular follow-ups was framed by hosts as essential to maintaining the new momentum and ensuring Pacific leadership of the agenda.
For Fiji, hosting the inaugural summit underscores the growing priority Pacific leaders are placing on regional security cooperation as criminal networks, cyber threats and other transnational challenges evolve. While delegates did not publish the full text of the mandate during the closing session on day two, officials said more detailed decisions and implementation plans will be worked through over the coming months by police leadership and regional partners.
The summit continues to be positioned as the start of a longer process of practical cooperation rather than an isolated event. Police Commissioners’ work over the coming weeks and the promised follow-up meeting next year will be closely watched as the region seeks to turn commitments made in Suva into measurable improvements in security and resilience across Pacific island states.