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The Australian Federal Police has been busy working with partners in the Pacific region in 2022, assisting law enforcement teams and providing cyber security support and training.
“The AFP has strong, enduring friendships across the Pacific, demonstrated through the sharing of resources and capability to ensure current and future security challenges and needs in the region are met,” Commander Pacific, Commander Melinda Phelan said.
“The role of the AFP in the Pacific extends beyond just having people on the ground. Our members are embedded in various communities, learning just as much as they are giving back.
“We are honoured to be so welcomed in these communities.”
The AFP’s Cyber Safety Pasifika (CSP) program also celebrated 10 years of operation.
In Vanuatu, the AFP worked with CSP to run a training workshop on cryptocurrency, and the CSP returned to Fiji, where it worked to raise cyber security awareness and educate vulnerable communities.
In Samoa, the AFP worked via the Samoa-Australia Police Partnership, where it established a range of law enforcement training programs educating local law enforcement about cyber investigations and drone training. In Fiji and Papua New Guinea, the AFP also helped boost the digital forensic capabilities of the Fiji Police Force and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary.
As a part of the Timor Leste Police Development Program, the AFP also opened a new Information Communications Technology Centre for the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste, following damage to the old centre during floods in 2021.
Meanwhile, in Canberra, the AFP hosted members of various Pacific police forces for a cyber security training program, with the aim of sharing their training with other colleagues in the region.
Other AFP-assisted programs focused on increasing gender equity in law enforcement agencies, assistance with elections, disaster response, and officer exchange programs.
There are currently more than 100 AFP officers serving in the Pacific region.