A four-day Mentoring Programme aimed at strengthening the skills and operational effectiveness of National Centre Bureau (NCB) officials concluded successfully in Honiara this month.
Held from 8-11 July, and supported by the UK, Australian Federal Police and New Zealand Police, the program provided in-depth coaching from a team of subject matter experts from National Centre Bureau Australia and INTERPOL, focusing on enhancing participants’ understanding and application of INTERPOL’s policing tools and systems.
The BLUE PPACIFIC project will increase access for Pacific Police Forces to INTERPOL information sharing capabilities including INTERPOL 24/7 communication system – helping to address transnational organised crime, including narcotics and trafficking.
Through interactive learning and expert-led guidance, six participants, comprising NCB officers and national law enforcement agency, acquired the knowledge necessary to optimise their use of INTERPOL’s resources and contribute to more robust international law enforcement collaboration.
This initiative also emphasised adherence to INTERPOL’s security protocols and operational procedures, ensuring proper implementation of its frameworks within the INTERPOL Information System.
By building capacity in these critical areas, the program seeks to develop a network of skilled NCB professionals well-prepared for international police collaboration.
Additionally, multi-agency meetings were also held from 14-15 July 2025, with participants from different national law enforcement agencies with an aim to support the security preparations for the upcoming 54th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting which will take place in Solomon Islands from 8-12 September 2025.
During these meetings, the Project Team also explained the objectives of Project BLUE PACIFIC and INTERPOL’s operational support and policing capabilities.
The project is being executed with the support of the Australian Federal Police, the New Zealand Police, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office/National Crime Agency, and in strategic alliance with the Pacific Island Chiefs of Police.
– BHC
