Two new facilities in Brisbane, Australia, will enhance coordination and training among police forces throughout the Pacific region, while bolstering multinational response capabilities, law enforcement leaders say.
Part of the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI), the Pinkenba Hub and Pinkenba Training Centre were launched during a December 2024 ceremony attended by officials from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The hub will offer training in police administration, management and leadership development, as well as housing for police officers on temporary assignment. It symbolizes an “unwavering commitment to enhancing security and law enforcement capabilities across the Pacific region based on shared values and shared cultures,” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw said in a news release.
The facility also is the headquarters of the PPI’s Pacific Police Support Group, a multinational contingent of up to 225 officers that deploys to natural disasters and major events, such as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October 2024.
“Sharing knowledge and resources, along with building stronger joint capabilities and existing relationships with our Pacific law enforcement partners, is vital for enhancing the security of communities across the region and for collectively countering evolving regional security threats,” Kershaw said.
Australia has committed about $250 million over five years for the PPI, which was endorsed by the region’s leaders in August 2024.
“We will provide substantial long-term support to ensure that this initiative succeeds and delivers on the aspirations for our region,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time, according to ABC News. “This includes financial support for establishment and infrastructure costs as well as supporting [the] Pacific.”
Pacific nations, as well as Allies and Partners including the United States, have raised concern over the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) attempts to gain influence in the resource-rich region, where many island nations have limited resources and infrastructure to secure their expansive maritime zones. In 2022, Beijing signed a secretive security pact with Solomon Islands, raising the specter of a potential PRC naval base in the region, which both nations denied.
Since then, Canberra has reached security agreements with Pacific neighbors including Nauru, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu. Just days after the PPI facilities were unveiled, Australia announced a $118 million package to provide support and training for Royal Solomon Islands Police Force recruits and to establish a police training center in the nation’s capital, Honiara.
The PPI calls for additional regional centers of excellence to provide operational support and training in investigations, forensics and other areas, according to the AFP. Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa also will host centers, ABC News reported.
“The Pacific Policing Initiative ensures that no matter the size of a jurisdiction, we can leverage our shared expertise and resources to secure our communities,” Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Commissioner David Manning said, according to a news release.
“Through the PPI, police forces across our region are committing our resources and police officers to jointly combat our shared challenges and secure our communities,” he said. “The challenges to policing across the Pacific are complex and evolving, and the PPI provides a critical platform from which our Pacific policing family will combat these challenges together.”
