Law enforcement officers, detector dog handlers and support personnel from across the Pacific have gathered in Nadi for the annual Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP) Conference, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and border security capabilities.

The three-day conference brings together police and customs representatives from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Participants will assess the performance of their respective Detector Dog Units, exchange operational experiences and discuss best practices to enhance collaboration among regional enforcement agencies.

The Pacific Detector Dog Programme is a joint initiative of New Zealand Police and Customs that supports Pacific nations in improving border enforcement and detection operations.

The programme provides specialised training for dog handlers, supplies highly trained detector dogs and assists member countries in developing leadership, operational systems, legal enforcement frameworks and prosecution processes related to the detection of illicit substances, particularly narcotics.

The conference was jointly opened by Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu and Fiji Revenue and Customs Service Director Border Shelini Kumar. Both officials highlighted the importance of coordinated, multi-agency responses to common security challenges facing the Pacific region.

Delegates also acknowledged the value of specialised training and K9 operational support provided by New Zealand Police, agreeing on the need for consistent approaches to strengthening border detection capabilities across participating agencies.

For more than 20 years, the PDDP has played a key role in building regional capacity through training programmes and the provision of highly skilled detector dogs to participating countries.

In Fiji, the programme operates through the Fiji Detector Dog Unit (FDDU), a partnership between the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service. The unit is based in Nasese and Nadi, with an additional facility recently established in Savusavu.