Peace, Justice and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific Region International Conference
Challenges to peace and justice in the Asia-Pacific region and the role of the AFP in peacekeeping and responding to these challenges
Commissioner Mick Keelty APM
Friday 1 April 2005
The Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Queensland
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Chief Paul Tahi, Chief of Vanuatu; Mr Selwyn Garu, Secretary-General of Melvatamauri; Imogen Ingram, Te Pa Mataiapo; members of the judiciary, academics, policy makers; ladies and gentlemen.
I also wish to acknowledge the indigenous Turrbal and Jagera peoples of the Brisbane area, on whose lands we are all guests.
It is an honour to have been invited to participate in this conference to help mark the launch of The Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies.
I believe the academic community has a key role to play in maintaining the security of our environment, not only in terms of helping us to better understand the conditions and complexities we face, but also in helping us to plan and evaluate our responses.
The Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies will be a welcome addition to that process and we look forward to learning more not only from this conference, but from the Centre's future research projects as well.
I have been asked to come and talk today about 'challenges to peace and justice in the Asia-Pacific region and the AFP's role in peacekeeping and responding to these challenges'.
From a law enforcement perspective, the challenges we face are complex and immense.
But equally, significant progress is being made toward addressing them, so today I'd like to discuss some key initiatives and perhaps encourage you to think about how we might continue to improve on responses for the future.
Peace, justice and…policing
As we all know, the Asia-Pacific is an incredibly diverse region, comprising 53 countries and more than 60 per cent of the world's population.
Each of these countries has its own political, economic and social structures - often incorporating different cultures, languages, beliefs, values and practices - as well as levels of wealth and development.
But despite differences in character and composition, each nation shares a common desire for peace and justice.
Integral to the maintenance of peace and justice is the protection of basic human rights - such as the right to life, liberty and security, freedom from torture and mistreatment, and equality before the law.
Such principles provide the vital foundations for a safe, secure and functional society.
As the historian and international theorist, E H Carr, once noted: "No political society, national or international, can exist unless people submit to certain rules of conduct." So in the event such principles - or rules - are compromised, so is the society.
Crime represents one of the clearest manifestations of these principles being violated. Illegal activities such as fraud, corruption, organised crime, terrorism or illicit trade come at a high social and economic cost.
Unfortunately today no society is immune from these forms of crime. If we look at the Asia-Pacific, it is known as a major production and distribution hub for illicit drugs. It is also a preferred base for international syndicates involved in the trafficking of human beings, especially women and children, for forced and exploitative labour. And it has been chosen as a base by many organised crime groups - including terrorist organisations such as Jemaah Islamiyah.
One of the great concerns about organised criminal groups, is that they tend to target weak and vulnerable countries struggling with poor governance structures and social, political and/or economic unrest. You don't have to look beyond the Pacific to see evidence of this.
Such conditions allow these groups to set up and conduct operations with relative ease and a substantially reduced risk of detection than would otherwise be the case in a strong, functional society.
But as the United Nations report "A More Secure World" reminds us, in today's globalised community, 'a threat to one is a threat to all'.
Advances in communications and transport technologies, allow threats to easily spread across borders, potentially undermining the security of nations across the region, or indeed the world.
In recognition of this fact, the protection of vulnerable nations within our own region has become a priority for governments.
In Australia, this has led to a significant shift in our crime fighting focus, with many more law enforcement resources now being directed offshore.
From an AFP perspective, this had led to the expansion of our International Network. The Network now covers 26 countries and 32 cities and not only investigates transnational crime, but works with our international partners to disrupt it at the earliest possible stage, and ultimately, to prevent it.
It provides a range of functions including operational, training and logistics support to bolster the capability of overseas policing counterparts. It also works to enhance coordination of intelligence and information exchange with law enforcement partners. In the Asia-Pacific, this has included setting up Transnational Crime Units in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, as well as the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre in Suva, Fiji.
Another key element in our international security strategy is peacekeeping.
Although the AFP has been involved in peacekeeping operations since we began - with missions to Cyprus dating back to 1964 - this function has been redefined in recent times with the establishment of the International Deployment Group within the AFP.
The IDG has given us significant new capacity to not only help keep the peace and good governance, but to assist neighbouring countries combat crime over the longer term.
It is very much a constructive strategy and I think a most appropriate utilisation of policing skills.
I'd now like to spend a bit of time discussing our experience with this and the challenges it has presented to date.
The International Deployment Group
As some of you know, the IDG was established by the Australian Government in February 2004 to provide a rapid and sustainable response to law and order challenges in our region.
It comprises about 500 personnel - from the AFP and many State and Territory Police - who are now engaged in a range of missions in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and in Nauru.
Each mission presents a unique set of challenges for the IDG and time constraints prevent me from talking about all of them today. However, the largest missions to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea provide interesting cases for discussion.
Solomon Islands
Prior to our involvement in the Solomon Islands, ethnic tensions and civil unrest had led to severe economic regression and social disorder.
By early 2003, the Solomon Islands was on the brink of becoming a failed state. Law and order had broken down and many of the local people feared to venture outside their homes and villages. The local police had been rendered largely ineffective, and were often known to be aligning themselves with militant groups.
Corruption among public officials was rife and extortion was draining government resources. Industry was faltering badly and debt was spiralling.
To try and reverse this decline, some 300 policing representatives from 11 nations in the region - including Australia - were invited by the Solomon Islands Government to form the Participating Police Force.
Their mission was to restore safety and order to the troubled archipelago, by implementing a three-phase response.
This included restoring law and order, building capacity, trust and confidence in the local police and creating an environment conducive to economic reconstruction and prosperity.
Our first - and key - challenge was just to restore order. The PPF did this by presenting a united 'show of force' where they made it known to the gangs that they would no longer be allowed to go rampant and unchallenged.
This was achieved by conducting highly visible patrols, arresting offenders for petty and violent crimes and removing weapons from the streets.
These measures were important symbolically because they provided a clear demonstration that lawlessness and chaos were no longer going to be tolerated. If people disobeyed the law, they would be caught and would then have to suffer the legal consequences.
Another important strategy that helped pave the way for the success of the mission was an early decision to send unarmed Australian officers on patrol alongside their Solomon Islands counterparts. Within two hours of the arrival of our first contingent, our officers were patrolling the local markets.
We made the decision to go unarmed so we could demonstrate to the local people that our officers were there to reassert the moral legitimacy of the state with the backing of the rule of law, rather than through the use of violence.
Again, I think it is an important role for police that distinguishes us from military interventions, where we are part of the peaceful, social environment which is so important to preserve.
This approach proved to be highly successful, with more than 3700 weapons and 300,000 rounds of ammunition seized, more than 5000 arrests (including 89 serving members of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force) and more than 7300 charges laid.
Although we faced significant geographical and logistical hurdles - there are more than 900 islands in the Solomons and technology such as power, telephones and other means of communication are often non-existent - we managed to overcome most of these.
In addition to law enforcement outcomes, another key measure of success was the return of the women and children to the streets. Significantly, there has also been a noticeable increase in the reporting of crimes to police, which demonstrates confidence is being restored in the local police force.
But despite such achievements, the path to peace and security in the Solomons has not been all plain sailing. The death of AFP officer, Adam Dunning, during a routine patrol in December last year, threatened to undermine the process.
However, the arrest of his murderers and the commitment to the mission shown by his RAMSI colleagues, demonstrate his death will not be in vain. Our people remain determined to bring lasting peace and security to the Solomons.
I also believe the recent conviction of Harold Keke and his associates serves as a powerful reminder that the justice system is functioning again in the Solomons and that the reconciliation process is at work.
From a law enforcement perspective, we are now concentrating on building capacity within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force; continuing our work to strengthen the courts and securing the prisons; and updating the criminal statutes to ensure they have the full range of criminal offences to deal with all types of crime.
We've come a long way in just 18 months in the Solomons, but I believe the biggest challenge for the mission is yet to be overcome. That is revitalising its public institutions and the economy to ensure the recovery is permanent and sustainable.
If we are to restore law and order over the longer term, it is no good just removing guns from the streets. You have to create an environment in which the social, political and justice systems can function properly, with the right powers, restraints and checks and balances to enable the community to have confidence and business to thrive.
After all, who is going to want to invest in a country if they are not confident the public institutions are functioning properly or that they will have recourse to authorities in the event their investments need to be protected?
If you don't have investment, then you don't have growth and opportunities for the population that can create a brighter, more secure future.
Therefore, the placement of RAMSI advisers in the Solomon Islands public sector is critical to the long term success of the mission.
Importantly, this team of advisers is supporting the policing effort by helping to restore stability to government finances, balancing the national budgets, helping the Solomon Islands Government better manage revenue and expenditure and improving revenue collection. It is also helping to reform the public service and to strengthen accountability mechanisms.
Significantly, their work in encouraging better compliance with revenue collection is already paying dividends, resulting in a 40 per cent increase in revenue during the 2003-2004 financial year1.
And we are starting to see these efforts impacting on business confidence. The economy experienced growth in its GDP last year estimated at 5.8 per cent, while some exports were up and inflation fell2.
But rebuilding the economy is a slow process, with foreign investment remaining minimal and infrastructure poor.
It is hoped that increased revenue collection will soon translate to better education and health services and much-needed infrastructure such as roads, wharves and bridges, to encourage positive growth in this area.
As you can imagine, the revitalisation of a society as fragile as the Solomons, is a long term project to which the AFP remains committed.
Papua New Guinea
Turning now to the AFP mission to Papua New Guinea, which is presenting its own challenges.
The mission is part of the Enhanced Cooperation Program agreed to by the Australian and Papua New Guinean Governments in December 2003.
The Program aims to deliver assistance in the areas of law and order, justice, economic management, public sector reform, border control and transport security and safety.
From a law enforcement perspective, it involves up to 210 members of the IDG working within the Papua New Guinea Police Force - the Royal Papua New Guinean Constabulary.
Their role is to assist and advise on operations and administration, including in areas such as general duties, criminal investigations, fraud and anti-corruption, intelligence, prosecutions and human resources.
Our officers are mentoring and coaching rather than assuming the responsibilities of the local police.
In addition, they will be undertaking capacity building programs that include infrastructure refurbishment at police stations, the replacement of police vehicles and training and development.
In terms of key challenges for this mission, many are similar to the Solomons. They include language and cultural barriers, a lack of technology and communications infrastructure, and applying the rule of law in traditional communities that have had very little - or adverse - contact with police or government officials over time.
But the two missions are also quite different in many regards.
For example, Papua New Guinea's population is more than 10 times larger than the Solomons - at 5.7 million people, as opposed to half a million people. Its surface area is almost 20 times larger and its crime far more serious and entrenched.
In Honiara, a lot of the crime was opportunistic rather than organised.
But in Port Moresby entrenched criminal gangs are making large profits from crime, and carrying out murders for political and economic benefit. We do not believe they are going to surrender easily.
Unlike the Solomons, we have also encountered some community resistance to our presence in PNG, which has included a High Court challenge by the Governor of Morobe Province, Luther Wenge, to aspects of our response.
We are still awaiting the court's ruling on that case.
While our involvement in the Enhanced Cooperation Program is still in its early days, I think it is important to highlight that due to sorts of the complexities I've just outlined, we cannot expect to achieve the rapid results we did in the Solomons.
It too, is definitely a long-term project and one that will require careful management along the way to address the unique set of circumstances in Papua New Guinea.
To assist in the planning and management of this and future IDG missions, the AFP recently joined the Australian Research Council to fund a research project to evaluate our new approach to peace building in places like the Solomons, PNG and Timor Leste.
The project is called 'Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Involvement in Peacekeeping, Capacity Building and Development."
The research will consider issues such as:
- How can police best contribute to sustainable, positive changes?
- What arrangements ensure accountability and responsiveness to the community?
- What factors influence community acceptance of, and support for police reform and rule of law strengthening? and
- How can Australian policing assistance be equipped to adequately deal with the very particular cultural, political, and developmental circumstances in the countries we assist?
I believe it is vital that we continually monitor our performance and identify areas for improvement if we are to maintain our own community's confidence in the work we are doing. Given this approach to regional assistance is relatively new to the AFP, we must accept there will be a need for fine-tuning and it is important that this is based on sound research.
I've also recently had discussions with the University of Melbourne to examine how criminologists and lawyers might be able to assist with providing scientific data on criminal activity in places like the Solomons, as well as on perceptions of crime and cases processed through the criminal justice system.
This sort of input would also be most valuable in in informing our responses.
Conclusion
I hope I've provided you with some insight into the sorts of law enforcement challenges we are facing in the region.
As I mentioned the challenges are immense, and the areas I have touched on today form only a small piece of the overall picture.
Communication and cooperation - not just between law enforcement agencies but across government, academia and the community as a whole - are essential to achieving our objectives for maintaining peace, justice and reconciliation.
The AFP looks forward to working with The Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies - and with the academic community more generally - to further strengthen our responses to law and order challenges. This will help to ensure that future generations get to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities they deserve, in a region that has so much to offer.
Thank you.
1RAMSI Fact Sheet Creating a more prosperous Solomon Islands
2Solomon Islands Rebuilding an Island Economy report: Pxii.