RSIPF Maritime Highlights Maritime Transnational Crime Challenges at International Naval Engagements in Sydney, Australia

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Maritime Force confirms that its Commander, Superintendent Nevol Soko, is representing Solomon Islands at the Royal Australian Navy’s International Fleet Review (125th years anniversary) and the Exercise Kakadu 2026 Commanders’ Conference, held from 21–23 March 2026 in Sydney, Australia.

The engagements bring together maritime leaders from across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen cooperation, enhance maritime security, and promote the protection of critical shipping lanes, trade routes, and regional economic stability.

During the Commanders’ Conference, Superintendent Soko served as a panellist, where he delivered a focused presentation on maritime crime and its growing impact on Pacific Island countries. He highlighted key threats including illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; transnational organized crime; people smuggling; illicit trafficking of drugs and weapons; and increasing misuse of small boats to exploit porous maritime borders.

Superintendent Soko emphasized that these maritime crimes not only undermine national sovereignty but also directly affect government revenue, food security, and sustainable fisheries as a key pillar of the Pacific economy. He further noted that criminal activities at sea can disrupt legitimate shipping lanes and trade routes, increase risks to maritime safety, and place additional strain on limited enforcement resources.

He stressed that for Solomon Islands and other Pacific nations, maritime crime is not only a security issue but also an economic threat, as it weakens investor confidence, disrupts supply chains, and impacts the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on marine resources.

Superintendent Soko called for stronger regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and coordinated enforcement operations to effectively address these challenges. He reaffirmed the importance of partnerships with regional and international stakeholders in building capacity, strengthening surveillance, and enhancing response capabilities.

On the margins of the event, Commander Soko held bilateral discussions with the Deputy Fleet Commander of the Australian Navy to further strengthen cooperation in operational support, training, and capability development. He also met with representatives of the Pacific Maritime Security Programme (PMSP) to identify enforcement gaps, improve maintenance support, and enhance the operational effectiveness of Guardian-class patrol boats.

Commander Soko described the engagement as timely and productive, noting that it provides an important platform to ensure Pacific Islands' operational perspectives on maritime crime are clearly understood and addressed at the international level.

The RSIPF Maritime Force remains committed to combating maritime crime, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring the safety, security, and sustainability of Solomon Islands’ maritime domain for the protection of its people, resources, and economy.