Tonga Law Enforcement Agencies strengthened ties with NZ TCU trough intelligence training
19 September 2022. An intelligence training by the New Zealand Transnational Crime Unit (NZTCU) in collaboration with the Tonga Police Serious Organized Transnational Crime Unit (SOTCU) was run for Tongan law enforcers in Vava’u and Tongatapu.
The initiative brought together operatives from four different local law enforcement agencies, including Police, Customs, Immigration, and Prisons.
As part of law enforcement efforts in combating organized crime domestically and in the Pacific region, understanding elements linked to organized crime like criminal gangs is necessary.
Jeremy Langa’aia and Ahmad Khan from the NZTCU shared their expertise on the subject with more than a hundred Tongan law enforcement participants, 25 in Vava’u on Friday, 9th September 2022, and 81 in Tongatapu on Wednesday, 14th September 2022.
In the opening address for the session in Tongatapu, Deputy Commissioner Chief of Staff Pelenatita Vaisuai acknowledged the New Zealand facilitators and the NZTCU for their valued alliance and support for knowledge enrichment, strengthening existing partnership.
“The presence of our counterparts from NZTCU and the subject and method of their sharing is significantly reinforcing, to how we should be operating as a small nation, together and collectively, we are stronger in providing our protection and security responsibilities,” said Deputy Commissioner Vaisuai.
She also acknowledged the efforts of these organizations and stressed the importance of working together to protect our communities from transnational and organized crime.
“We live and operate in a connected world through globalization and technology, where criminality and organized crime know no borders. As law enforcers, we should stay connected in the right way to be able to be effective in what we do.
No agency should work in isolation as it will prove ineffective. The key lies in the partnership, in working together, in sharing information and intelligence in a timely manner.
We are Page 2 of 2 stronger together! Our protection is stronger when we do it together,” stressed Deputy Commissioner Vaisuai. Vaisuai then encouraged the participants to make use of the opportunity to form alliances and strengthen their network with both local and overseas counterparts.
She also challenged them to make a difference in what they do through sharing intelligence in a timely manner and maintain confidentiality where relevant.
Both the NZTCU and SOTCU are operational arms within the Pacific Transnational Crime Network (PTCN) where the PTCN provides proactive criminal intelligence and investigative capabilities to combat transnational crime within the Pacific region using a multi-agency and regional approach.
