A PACIFIC Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation (PCLEC) Design four-member team is currently in Fiji to hold consultative meetings with the Commissioner of Police, senior Government officials and various regional stakeholders.
According to a statement by the Police, Fiji has been identified as one of the regional centres of capabilities by the team.
The team consists of consisting of Lautoa Faletau, Consultant Greg Ellis and Fiji Police’s Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ilaitia Caginavanua and the PCLEC concept was formulated at the 2018 Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police meeting aimed at consolidating regional, trilateral and bilateral police development through a decentralized model.
The model will consist of networked regional centers of capability with proven ability to deliver police development programs in the region across key thematic law enforcement priority areas.
Head of delegation Lautoa Faletau said the PCLEC team was grateful to the Commissioner’s support in enabling the visit and in organising the consultations with other Government stakeholders.
“Fiji are leaders in this effort and home to several of our regional partners who are keen to hone in on this concept and we are grateful to have been given the support and several mechanisms which have been put together to enable this visit”.
Commissioner of Police Brig-Gen Qiliho has supported the model saying that it encourages Pacific law enforcement to not only assist each other through training but to work together to better protect the Pacific region.
“When we open up training for our regional partners, there is more to it that just the training aspects as it also gives us the opportunity to network”.
“A positive outcome of this model that can never be quantified are the friendships forged and networks built because the training while it may last a few weeks or months, our networks will exist a lifetime where if I need help from one our regional partners I can easily pick up the phone and ask for assistance or discuss matters freely”.
The final model is expected to be presented at the next Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Conference in August this year which will be held in Pagopago.
The other Regional centers identified by the PCLEC team include, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Samoa.
