The Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Mandy Newton has highlighted the movement of illicit drug within the Pacific.

This was one of the major issues  at the 2015 South Pacific Commanders Conference at the Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and Spa on Yanuca Island.

“We had a number of seizures over the years in Fiji as well with major drug shipments which are quite often destined to go to Australia or New Zealand,” Ms Newton said.

She said a distribution ring for drugs existed within the Pacific.

“This conference is about people in command roles across the whole of the South Pacific region getting together to talk about some of our crime challenges.

“It is from regional countries and not just from countries like Fiji and Australia. The Pacific Island Commissioners work very closely together to ensure that we solve transnational crime issues that are challenging all of us,” she said.

By working together, the capabilities within the region to address those crime issues were strengthened, she said.

“There is also human trafficking of people within our region, so we need to ensure that our communities are safe as possible.”

Other key areas discussed in the conference included organised crime in outlaw motorcycle gang.

“What we see now is that most of the criminal networks are like corporations.

“They are a large business so they deal in all types of crime like money laundering, internet related crimes and internet fraud.

“They take people’s identities and use those identities as they prey on vulnerable children and women in the communities for transnational sexual related crimes of internet criminal activity.

“We are trying to ensure that we have strong relationships so that we are prepared to share the information and work together on criminal activities. In having the strengthened ability to work on these jobs together means that we get a better outcome in locking up criminals,”

The conference ends today.