SUVA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Pacific Islands are facing an increasingly complex battle against transnational organized crime, with regional leaders warning that criminal networks operating across the region have become more sophisticated, coordinated and deeply entrenched.
Speaking at the Pacific Transnational Crime Summit in Nadi, Fiji's third largest city, on Tuesday, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General Baron Waqa said organized crime in the region was no longer simply growing in scale but evolving in nature, forcing Pacific nations to rethink how they respond, reported Fiji Broadcasting Corporation news website.
Noting that criminal networks are now organized, adaptive and systemic, Waqa stressed that Pacific governments must move beyond isolated national responses toward stronger regional coordination.
He told delegates that the Pacific now has greater intelligence capabilities and analytical tools than ever before, but the key challenge lies in ensuring that information is effectively shared and acted upon across borders.
Waqa said the region's focus must now shift towards achieving "coherence" -- aligning intelligence systems, operational priorities and enforcement efforts to better disrupt criminal activity throughout the Pacific.
The summit brought together regional security officials and partners amid growing concerns about the Pacific being used as a transit route for illicit drugs, human trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and illegal fishing operations.
Small island states with vast ocean territories and limited enforcement resources have increasingly become vulnerable to transnational criminal networks. ■
