Australia funds the establishment of a joint police force for Pacific island nations | WPN World People News

On the 28th, leaders of Pacific island nations at the Pacific Islands Forum summit held in Tonga unanimously agreed to join the Australian-funded Pacific Policing Initiative. This initiative will organize a multinational police force to maintain security in the Pacific island region.

The Pacific Policing Initiative, funded by Australia with an investment of 400 million AUD, was agreed upon at the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Tonga on the 28th. According to the initiative, four police training centers will be established in the Pacific island nations, a multinational police force comprising over 200 officers will be formed, and an independent coordination center will be set up in Brisbane, Australia. This will assist Pacific island nations in combating drug smuggling, illegal fishing, and economic crimes across millions of square kilometers of ocean.

However, this initiative has faced skepticism from Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, which are friendly with China. Representatives from these countries expressed concern that the multinational police force might marginalize China and reduce its space for signing policing and security agreements in the Pacific island region. China has deployed a small number of police officers to the Solomon Islands and has sent rotating police units to train local personnel in shooting and riot control tactics.

Despite the concerns from Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni stated that the 18 member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum are free to decide whether to participate in the initiative. Currently, besides Tonga, leaders from Fiji, Palau, and Papua New Guinea have expressed their support for the initiative.