Australian Federal Police to Deepen Ties With PNG Law Enforcement Amid China Competition
Udumbara
.
Australia’s policing footprint in the Pacific is set to deepen further, with AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett heading to Papua New Guinea to sign a new policing agreement.
The pact with Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) Commissioner David Manning will be formalised on Nov. 1, expanding information-sharing, joint investigations, and technology cooperation.
It comes only weeks after Australia and PNG signed the “Pukpuk Treaty,” elevating the two nations to formal security ally status, which means both countries are obligated to defend the other in the event of an attack.
The policing deal builds on an existing memorandum and is framed as a practical law-enforcement measure, but arrives amid sharpened strategic competition with Beijing.
Lowy Institute data shows Australia has spent more than $20.6 million on policing support in PNG since 2008.
“This agreement is focused on multi-jurisdictional investigations involving organised crime networks affecting PNG and Australia,’’ Commissioner Barrett said.
Police and Defence as Diplomacy
On Oct. 6 both the nations signed the Pukpuk Treaty in Canberra — a defence pact committing both nations to “act to meet the common danger” if either is attacked.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape hailed the treaty as historic, even as Beijing warned Port Moresby against deals that might “restrict or prevent” its cooperation with other partners.
Despite reassurance, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) presence remains significant: PNG was the first Pacific nation to join the Belt and Road Initiative and is the largest recipient of Chinese aid in the region.
For Canberra, sustained AFP engagement gives Australia a grassroots presence in addition to high-level ties.
Meanwhile, Barrett will also hold a bilateral meeting with Fiji Police Force Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu.
Her visit also includes ribbon-cutting for major upgrades to Bomana Police College in Port Moresby, which will become a Regional Centre of Excellence able to train PNG and Pacific officers by early 2027.
The multi-million-dollar build includes new classrooms, accommodation blocks, and facilities to support investigator training and PNG’s police numbers.
Barrett will round out her first overseas mission as Commissioner with a visit to the NRL Pacific Championships game between PNG and Fiji.
.
