Fiji’s village-led ocean surveillance hailed as a Pacific model

Fiji’s use of coastal villages and boat operators to help guard its 1.3 million square kilometres of ocean has been highlighted as a model for the wider Pacific in a new report by the Pacific Security College.

The Pacific Peace and Security Dialogue 2026 Report said Fiji’s 11,000 kilometres of open beaches meant government agencies alone could never patrol the country’s waters effectively, regardless of how capable their personnel were.

Permanent Secretary for Policing Berenado Daveta told the June Dialogue in Suva that villages had willingly taken on the role, working through traditional chiefly structures and the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), rather than through orders from authorities.

The report noted that the approach combined national security with tangible benefits for coastal communities, including training in boat maintenance and repair for fishermen and boat operators.

The dialogue heard that actionable intelligence shared in real time was key to combating transnational crime.

It also called for a regional approach to specialist skills, including shared centres of excellence in digital forensics and financial investigation, as small Pacific states could not develop these capabilities alone.

Strengthening mutual legal assistance and extradition arrangements between Pacific countries was also identified as a priority.

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