Transnational organized crime entities have become increasingly well-financed and sophisticated, whether it’s drug trafficking, people smuggling, environmental crimes, or cybercrime.

Head of the Office of the Pacific DFAT, Ewen McDonald, says the crime syndicate is operating with no regard to traditional land and sea borders.

He says the region’s strategic circumstances will present challenges for law enforcement over the next few years.

“These challenges also require new capabilities regionally to our law enforcement and border security institutions, including in situational awareness, and response, the capability within each nation’s law enforcement agencies is important to us all. Ensuring collective strength across the board.”

McDonald says increasing movements of people and goods across borders will bring a range of traditional and new challenges for law enforcement.

He adds that COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will continue to place considerable economic and social hardship across the region with the flow of crime and community-based violence.

The head of DFAT highlighted this in his address at the inaugural Pacific Regional Law Enforcement conference this week.