Head of Tonga Police Drug Enforcement Taskforce recognized with Regional Award Featured
Tonga Police Detective A/Superintendent Halatoa Taufa received the highly prestigious Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) Chair Award 2019
1 September, 2019. Tonga Police Detective A/Superintendent Halatoa Taufa was presented with the highly prestigious Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) Chair Award 2019 for his leadership and commitment as the Head of the Police Drug Enforcement Taskforce, during the 48th PICP conference that was held in American Samoa from the 21st – 23rd of August 2019.
This is the second time that Tonga Police has been awarded with the PICP Chair Award, with the first award presented to A/Chief Superintendent Tevita Vailea in 2016.
Since the launch of the Drug Enforcement Taskforce in April 2018, police have arrested 270 people to date with the youngest arrest a 13-year-old youth, seized 33.8 kilograms of methamphetamine as well as other illicit drugs and 45 illegally imported firearms.
The high rate of drugs arrest by the Drug Enforcement Taskforce has had a significant impact on serious crimes in Tonga. A reduction in homicide from 10 last year to 1 this year, robberies from 22 in 2018 to 1, housebreaking from 396 to 153 and a decrease in road fatalities from 21 in 2018 to only 3 this year.
‘Preventing drug harm within our communities’ was the focus of the 2019 PICP Conference that was attended by the Commissioner of Police Stephen Caldwell and accompanied by Superintendent Ashley Fua and Detective A/Superintendent Halatoa Taufa. Tonga Police was a key presenter, presenting its journey in combating illicit drugs, the challenges, policy response and changing policing approach in moving forward.
The PICP focus for this year’s conference is in line with the Tonga Police strategy flowing from the Police Commissioners priority, to strengthen its partnership with communities through education and awareness campaign in the fight against illicit drugs.
“We understand the importance of working together as a community to ensure the safety of everyone. One way to improve this community partnership is allowing communities to take ownership of existing security issues and working together to come up with viable solutions.”
During the conference it was noted that the Pacific region has seen an increase in the shipment of both methamphetamine and cocaine. For transit countries the risk of a local user market developing is very high with some countries recording increase in use and harm. To address this problem the Pacific Chiefs are committed to cross jurisdictional co-operation and working together.
