Partners to bridge crime funding gap: PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji's international partners will help bridge funding gaps created by reduced budget allocations for the Fiji Police Force's fight against transnational crime.

Mr Rabuka yesterday dismissed concerns that the cuts signalled a weakening of the Government's commitment to tackling organised crime.

"A lot of the gaps that are going to appear, or appear to appear, will be covered by our partners," Mr Rabuka told the Fiji Sun after the Constitutional Offices Commission meeting.

The Fiji Police Force's Transnational Crime Unit was allocated $6,000 in the 2026-2027 National Budget, part of a broader $13.8 million reduction in the Force's overall allocation.

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), whose Navy patrols Fiji's 1.3 million square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), also had its budget reduced by $15.2 million, from $167.8 million to $152.6 million.

Despite the funding cuts, the Fiji Police Force and the RFMF have intensified joint nationwide operations, including snap checkpoints and coordinated deployments targeting criminal drug networks.

The reduced funding comes despite Fiji hosting the inaugural Pacific Transnational Crime Summit in May with the Australian Federal Police, where Pacific police chiefs pledged stronger regional cooperation to combat organised crime, illicit drugs and corruption.

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said Pacific communities were already feeling the effects of transnational crime and called for stronger public support for law enforcement.

Minister for Defence Pio Tikoduadua yesterday said transnational organised crime, illicit drug trafficking and illegal fishing required practical cooperation among trusted partners.

The Government has allocated $1.6 million to support narcotics operations and the continued establishment of the Counter Narcotics Bureau as the country's central agency for coordinating the fight against illicit drugs.