PROGRAM PROFILE
Background | Coverage | The Pacific Regional Policing Initiative Program
Background
The Forum Island Countries face enormous difficulties in maintaining viable economies at a time of rapid global and economic change. Political instability and internal conflict in parts of the region, particularly in Melanesia, impact on prospects for longer-term sustainable development. In some countries national unity is fragile and is undermined by internal divisions, ethnic tensions and weak political systems. Systems and structures of governance tend to be weak and institutions of policing are facing significant challenges. Against this backdrop, there are increasing regional and national security challenges that give rise to demands with which the policing agencies of many FIC are currently unable to cope.
Yet a robust, accountable, transparent and efficient policing service is a crucial ingredient for national stability and longer-term development, particularly for the creation of an environment conducive to consumer and investor confidence. It is also a critical component of the broad national defence against exploitative commercial ventures and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking, people smuggling, identify theft and money laundering. The importance of the rule of law is also critical for visitors to the region with the tourism sector being a potentially strong contributor to economic growth.
From a policy perspective, governance is a prime objective of the Australian aid program in the region. This demonstrates an appreciation of the important contribution that the law and justice sector can to make to economic, social and political stability. It is also an acknowledgement of the critical governance, security and policing challenges that exist within many of the FIC.
Promoting peace and stability is also a major foreign policy priority objective, which is borne out in the Conflict Policy. In meeting this policy imperative, the Australian Aid Program has an important role to play in promoting peace and stability, particularly with regard to the strong links between poverty and conflict. Aid assistance is seen as one of Australia's primary means of supporting long-term structural change to prevent conflict and to respond to conflict when it occurs.
The Draft Regional Pacific Strategy (2002 - 08) also identifies stable institutions and systems of law and justice and national security as cornerstones to achieving successful development outcomes in the region; and they are priorities for the Australian Aid Program. It also has a stronger focus on law, justice and security issues than in previous years and highlights the need to consider the value of regional programs, with the pursuit of heightened complimentarily between regional and bilateral objectives.
To that end, Australian assistance is intended to help FICs to strengthen their own capacity to respond to both internal law and order issues and regional security challenges.
This initiative is consistent with the policy aims of the Australian Government and is compatible with the growing desires of FICs to cooperate on a regional basis with regard to common law, justice and security issues. While the bilateral approach provides the essential core of Australian support to strengthening specific police agencies in the region, the PRPI provides the opportunity to draw together a number of critical initiatives of a strategic nature that would not be viable on a bilateral basis.
The Australian Government will fund the Pacific Regional Policing Initiative (PRPI), with an additional contribution from the Government of New Zealand. New Zealand support will take two forms. Firstly, a direct financial contribution to the PRPI, to be notionally attributed to Component 1 - support to the South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference. Secondly, New Zealand will provide 'in kind' support for community safety/domestic violence policing training activities, utilising NZ Police personnel.
Coverage
The PRPI will be extended to all FICs, namely:
The Pacific Regional Policing Initiative Program
Program Goal
The goal of the Program is to contribute to a safer, more secure and stable environment in Forum Island Countries.
Program Purpose
The purpose of the Program is to contribute to improved effectiveness of policing in Forum Island Countries to enable them to contribute more comprehensively to regional security and national economic, social and political stability.
Program Components
Component 1 - Strategic Policing
Objective: To strengthen the capacity of individual FIC police agencies to identify and respond to community, national and regional priorities.
Component 2 - Executive Development Program
Objective:
To enhance police leadership throughout the region by preparing future police leaders for supervisory, management and senior executive roles and enhancing the capacity of existing leaders.
Component 3 - Police technical Skills
Objective: To enhance basic operational and investigative capacity, and establish a foundation upon which effective community-based policing and transnational crime management capacity can be built.
Component 4 - Training Capacity Development
Objective: To support the development of a competent and appropriately sized training delivery capacity in each jurisdiction within which the currency of trainers, training programs and their modes of delivery is maintained.
Component 5 - Forensic Technical Skills
Objective: To support development of appropriately sized basic forensic services that are able to meet the respective needs of each jurisdiction.
Component 6 - Program Management
Objective: To support the achievement of component objectives, accountability for the use of program resources, and coordination of program activities.
Duration
The Program started in January 2004 and the Inception Phase will run until 31 July 2004. Subject to AusAID approval, the program will continue with implementation from 1 August 2004 until 31 December 2008.
Location
The Program office has been relocated from Suva, Fiji to Brisbane, Australia and will offer services to all Forum Island Countries.
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