Affiliation to the International Blue Light Youth Club has extended. It is now no longer confined to police officers.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Isikeli Ligairi membership now includes military officers and civilians who are part of the Police Citizen’s Youth Clubs (PCYC).

This year’s conference also includes a judge.

Deputy Commissioner Ligairi made the comments at the beginning of the international meeting at the Pearl Resort in Pacific Harbour yesterday. The meeting rounds up today.

The judge was at the conference to provide information and clarity regarding children issues at the conference.

More than 90 participants from Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Cook Islands are in attendance.

Fiji Police Force for the first time is hosting the conference for experts from within the region for child and youth development.

“The youths of today are the most important group of people of our population as these are the leaders of tomorrow and for the Fiji Police Force we want to be involved in preparing the leaders of tomorrow,” Deputy Commissioner Ligairi said.

Experts from within the region for child and youth development are part of the two day conference at the Pearl Resort in Pacific Harbour.

Deputy Commissioner Ligairi stated that the police officers who were part of this conference would surely learn from the ideas and programmes undertaken in other jurisdictions.

He further highlighted that the purpose of this conference was for them to share ideas and ways to improve the services that they provided in their quest to prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

“The programmes and plans drawn from this conference will assist us strategise for the future,” he said.

“Dialogue and information sharing are important and these are addressed as we learn from each other.”

President of International Blue Light, Brendon Crompton said that the conference was for youth development and for the first time held in the South Pacific.

“We are empowering young people to make good decisions, to be good members of the community and the police have the lead role as they do not want young people to get into trouble. The theme of the conference is sharing programmes that have since worked well,” he said.