In another milestone celebration, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) honored senior customs officer Joana Duabaubau for being the first female Narcotic Detector Dog handler in the Pacific.

Ms Duabaubau along with Faraaz Khan graduated from the New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre in Trentham, Wellington with their dogs Frosty and Force after nine weeks of intensive training.

Ms Duabaubau thanked FRCS for identifying her potential, entrusting her to the role of a dog handler and for being the first female in Fiji as well as in the Pacific.

“I have learned to never hold back. Whether it’s a task unfamiliar to you or a higher-ranking position,” she said.

“Each choice presents an opportunity to gain knowledge and develop your skills. We should not restrict our capabilities due to our apprehension of change or uncertainty.”

Dog handling has mainly been a male-dominated profession.

In October 2022, the Fiji Detector Dog Unit (FDDU) held an open day for female officers from FRCS and the Fiji Police Force to seek their interest in becoming K-9 handlers.

Ms Duabaubau’s interest in pursuing the profession sparked from the open day.

“While taking up this role, I needed to be a team player, work under minimal supervision, be physically fit and most importantly be passionate about working with dogs. After being selected, I had to prepare physically and mentally for the training in order to take on the challenges, ,” Ms Duabaubau said.

FRCS chief executive officer Mark Dixon described Ms Duabaubau’s achievement as another significant milestone for women in the Pacific and thanked New Zealand for delivering this fantastic search dog capability to Fiji.

“These are real milestone achievements, fantastic for the individual involved, but actually, their success drives success more broadly and people start to recognise the importance and the ability of females to fill leadership roles in all organisations in Fiji,” Mr Dixon said.

“FRCS is becoming a diverse organisation that not only celebrates the success of our men, but also the success of our women.”

FRCS has five detector dog handlers who work in collaboration with K-9 handlers from the Fiji Police Force in enhancing Fiji’s border security through the detection of illicit drugs, ammunition and contraband.

Source: Fiji Revenue and Customs Service

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