AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett will leverage an address to the United Nations to amplify the voice of Pacific Island police and encourage their deployments to future peacekeeping missions.
In an Australian first, the AFP will next year host the United Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) in New York, a biennial summit of heads of national police, ministers and senior government officials from 193 UN member states.
Held at the UN General Assembly, the summit will reinforce Commissioner Barrett's strategy to supercharge the AFP's global operations and deepen international cooperation to combat emerging and evolving criminal threats in the Indo-Pacific.
Taking her push for Pacific Island policing regionalism to the world stage, Commissioner Barrett will outline the benefits of empowering Pacific chiefs of police in a region that continues to be challenged by strategic competition and transnational crime.
Commissioner Barrett said the AFP was talking with stakeholders about how the Pacific could advance its collective voice, including as a regional police bloc for multilateral engagement.
Commissioner Barrett said it was important voices of Pacific Island police were heard within global bodies, particularly given growing concerns about cybercrime, illicit commodity trafficking and organised crime in the region.
"The regional leadership and ambition of Pacific chiefs is clear, and their desire is for regional solutions to our shared security challenges,'' Commissioner Barrett said.
"Pacific police are valued partners for the AFP and together we are clear-eyed and determined when it comes to protecting our region from complex criminal networks.
"It is important that we continue to build our resilience together as we counter challenges to the global rules-based order.
"Every opportunity and meeting I have, I expressly outline the value of our Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police.
"It is important we acknowledge that the dedication and hard work of Pacific police agencies have helped keep Australians safe from organised crime.
"This is why the AFP will champion and advocate for our trusted and valued Pacific police partners.
"This engagement builds on sustained AFP diplomatic efforts at the UN in New York to ensure the region's policing perspectives are understood and reflected in UN policy settings.
"This reflects Australia's broader commitment, championed continually through the AFP advisor's work at the UN, to elevating Pacific policing within multilateral forums."
Commissioner Barrett said UNCOPS was the appropriate forum to discuss the role of policing in peacekeeping, the ever-evolving complexities of transnational crime and the increased need for specialised policing capabilities.
"The AFP continues to be a strong backer for Pacific Island police to contribute more actively to international peacekeeping efforts,'' Commissioner Barrett said.
"The AFP this year launched the world's first UN accredited police peacekeeping program, tailored specifically for the Pacific region and Timor-Leste.
"At our Pinkenba facilities in Brisbane, the AFP hosted 100 participants from 11 countries across the Pacific and Timor-Leste to obtain essential skills required for UN deployment.
"The training program marked a significant step forward in supporting Pacific police preparedness for UN deployments."
Australia has been selected to host UNCOPS 2026 following extensive engagement in New York and sustained advocacy highlighting the Pacific's peace and security priorities.
Last year marked 60 years since the first contingent of Australian police was deployed to Cyprus as part of United Nations peacekeeping efforts.
Since then, thousands of Australian police have deployed across the world, helping countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace. Often this is alongside policing colleagues.
"Countries in the Pacific region have hosted missions and contributed to them, to support their neighbours, resolve conflicts and maintain a more secure and peaceful region," Commissioner Barrett said.
"In addition to the UN missions in Timor-Leste, the Pacific has led and contributed to regional missions in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands.
"Pacific countries are highly responsive to regional security needs, and a great example was the contribution of PNG, the Solomon Islands and Australia, through the Pacific Police Support Group, to swiftly deploy to Vanuatu after the fatal December 2024 earthquake."
UNCOPS is convened by the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, supported by the UN Police Adviser. They outline the UN's policing priorities and emerging operational requirements.
