Shania Shayal Prasad 
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett
A major Organized Crime Summit will be held in May next year to identify and tackle crime, including illicit commodities, money laundering, cybercrime, foreign interference, environmental crime and illegal fishing and logging.
The summit will be co-hosted by the Australian Federal Police and the Fiji Police Force.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says this will mark a stronger and more coordinated effort to combat organized criminal networks threatening communities and regional sovereignty.
Barrett fears that well-funded criminal cartels are increasingly targeting Pacific nations.
“We will use this summit to make our communities in Fiji, Australia and the pacific region safer by leveraging the latest intelligence, world-leading capability and technology.”
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu is calling for a collective approach in protecting communities.
“Our approach must be a collective one, that is, by the Pacific, for the Pacific. And that’s the only way. As people of the Pacific, we understand our challenges and therefore we must come together to talk and really get to the root causes of these crimes and find workable solutions that have tangible outcomes.”
Tudravu also welcomed the AFP’s role in combating transnational crime and states that illicit commodities are in high demand. He stresses that the Pacific is often used as a gateway by syndicates.
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