51st PACIFIC ISLANDS CHIEFS OF POLICE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Hosted by the Tongan Police, the 51^st Annual Pacific IslandsChief of Police (PICP) Conference officially opened in Nuku’alofa this morning,Tuesday 3 September 2024.

This year’s conference theme, Our Blue Pacific on the Global Stage,provides an opportunity for Pacific Police Organisations to shine anddemonstrate the diversity and resilience they can bring to the Global Stage.

We are looking forward to a week of productive and engagingconversations amongst Chiefs and Commissioners, in furtherance of Our Mission -Building Highly Capable Policing - and Our Vision - Our Blue Pacific,Safer Together.

This week we also celebrate the 20^th anniversary of thePICP-Women’s Advisory Network, which held its inaugural meeting here in Tongain 2004, reaffirming our commitment to advancing the role of women in policingacross the Pacific.

Ahead of the conference, Police Chiefs and Commissioners yesterdayelected Commissioner Anthony Macaranas of Commonwealth of the Northern MarianaIslands (CNMI) to the role of Deputy Chair of the PICP. Commissioner Macaranashas served a distinguished 35-year career in law enforcement within the CNMI.

 Thank you to Tonga Police for their generous hosting of our Chiefs andCommissioners this week.

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