Strengthening Coordination through the Pacific Community Law Enforcement Cooperation

Strengthening Coordination through the Pacific Community Law Enforcement Cooperation

Pacific police, recognising the vital role of partners and donors in supporting the development of highly capable policing, reinforced the value of the Pacific Community for Law Enforcement Cooperation (PCLEC) as their primary regional coordination mechanism.

This commitment was recently echoed at the PCLEC National Coordinators Forum in Nadi, hosted by the Fiji Police Force, that brought together the PCLEC National Coordinators from 19 Pacific countries alongside the PICP Secretariat and PCLEC.

The theme of the Forum was ‘Building Capability through Connection’, and highlighted PCLEC’s key achievements over the last 12 months, which included a range of member country initiatives funded through the PCLEC Small Grants, the development of capability development continuums focusing on Intelligence, Investigations and Officer Wellbeing and Safety, and the PCLEC Seconded Pacific Officer programme.

Samoa Police Service, Deputy Commissioner Monalisa Tiai-Keti who serves as Samoa’s PCLEC National Coordinator, expressed deep appreciation for the support provided by PCLEC and Pacific police partners when Samoa hosted the Commonwealth of Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October 2024. The cross-jurisdictional support provided was coordinated through PCLEC with assistance from Pacific police, a key regional coordination mechanism that supports the Pacific in building highly capable policing.

During the forum, the National Coordinators identified key regional trends to further explore and prioritise, which included recruitment and retention of staff, and road safety. Ongoing efforts to explore the delivery of capacity and development in these areas will be progressed by PCLEC with the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, partners, and donors.

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ABOUT: PCLEC is a PICP endorsed regional coordination mechanism for Pacific police capability and capacity development. PCLEC focussed support in priority areas as directed by the PICP and is based on a hub and spoke model.

The PCLEC Delivery Coordination Team in Canberra, Australia is staffed by AFP members and periodically by Seconded Pacific officers (SPOs), with appointed PCLEC National Coordinators from PICP member organisations who represent their interests. Their ‘by the Pacific, for the Pacific’ model ensures that outcomes are led by the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police.

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