Pacific warned no country can fight organised crime alone

Pacific nations have been urged to urgently strengthen maritime cooperation, intelligence sharing and regional policing as transnational crime syndicates expand their reach across the region.

Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship, Cyber Security, and Arts Tony Burke warned Pacific leaders that organised criminal networks were exploiting weak maritime borders, cyber vulnerabilities and social pressures.

Speaking at the Police Ministers Meeting during the 2026 Pacific Transnational Crime Summit at the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay in Nadroga, Mr Burke said no Pacific country could confront the growing threat alone.

“The reality is this, no country acting alone can meet this challenge,” Mr Burke said.

He outlined four priority areas Pacific countries needed to focus on: maritime security, intelligence sharing and connectivity, a whole-of-system approach, and strengthening regional policing leadership.

Mr Burke said the Pacific’s vast ocean geography remained both a strength and a major vulnerability.

“Criminal groups exploit the distances between us and the water that connects us. Our coordinated maritime response needs to be intelligence-led, using the regional architecture we already have, making it harder for illicit goods to move through our region,” he said.

He also stressed that law enforcement alone would not solve the crisis and Pacific nations needed broader approaches addressing social and economic vulnerabilities that criminal groups often exploit.

Mr Burke said strengthening regional policing partnerships, including support for the Pacific Policing Initiative and Pacific police chiefs, remained critical.

“If we use this moment well and align our efforts, strengthen our cooperation and commit to practical outcomes, then we can shift the pathway; we can change the trajectory that we have seen in recent years,” he said.

“We can make it hard for the criminals to operate, and we can make the Pacific a safer, stronger and a more resilient region for us all.”