[File Photo]
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa has warned that transnational organised crime in the Pacific is becoming more sophisticated, describing criminal networks as “organised, adaptive and systemic.”
Speaking at the Pacific Transnational Crime Summit in Nadi, Waqa said the threat is no longer just increasing in volume but has fundamentally changed in character, requiring a stronger and more coordinated regional response.
“Criminal networks are now organised, adaptive and systemic,”
He adds that the region’s challenge is no longer intelligence gathering, but ensuring that systems are connected to act on it effectively.
He said Forum leaders have already set a clear mandate through key regional frameworks, including the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the Boe Declaration on Regional Security, and the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration.
He stated that these frameworks are not aspirational; rather, they are our agreed-upon direction, underscoring the need to translate regional agreements into coordinated operational action.
Waqa highlighted that while Pacific nations now have stronger intelligence, analysis, and national capabilities than ever before, gaps remain in how effectively this information is shared and acted upon across jurisdictions.
He said the focus moving forward must be on “coherence,” aligning intelligence, priorities, and operational efforts across the region to disrupt better criminal networks operating in and through the Pacific.
The Forum Secretary General also emphasised that transnational crime is not only a law enforcement issue, but one that impacts communities, economies, and the integrity of institutions across the region.
He said responses must therefore be “whole of society” and grounded in Pacific values, with stronger ministerial oversight needed to close the gap between political direction and action on the ground.
Waqa said he looks forward to taking the outcomes of the summit back to Pacific leaders for further consideration.
