The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) received a courtesy visit from Inspector Todd Southall, the Coordinator of the Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP), and Senior Project Officer Ms. Fiona McPhail.

The PDDU team met with Mr. Udit Singh, CEO of FRCS, Ms. Shelini Kumar, Director of Customs and Border, and Mr. Marika Vuniyayawa, Chief Customs Officer for Intelligence and Border Compliance, during their visit.

The meeting’s main topic was the continued cooperation between the FRCS and the New Zealand PDDP, with an emphasis on aiding Fiji’s dog unit.

The anticipated expansion of the canine unit in Savusavu and Nadi, the impending conference, new training and capacity-building efforts, and other planned K9 operations were among the main themes discussed.

With assistance from the New Zealand Customs Service, New Zealand Police oversees the PDDP, which is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand. The program improves the Detector Dog Units of border authorities in Fiji and other Pacific Island countries in terms of detecting capability.

In addition to providing trained dogs and thorough training for dog handlers, it also enhances leadership, systems, legal enforcement, and prosecution capabilities in relation to the interception of illegal goods, mostly drugs.

Due to the program’s great effectiveness, there have been a lot of drug seizures in recent years. The Fiji Customs Detector Dog Unit was praised by Inspector Southall for its excellent demonstration of the abilities necessary for a strong K9 facility.

The FRCS CEO also expressed gratitude to the PDDP team for their ongoing assistance, direction, and collaboration.