The “understaffed” Cook Islands Police have sent two of their senior officers to Samoa to assist the country with hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next week.

Cook Islands is not a member of the Commonwealth group, so it is not included in the meeting. Despite this, the Cook Islands Police Service remains enthusiastic about its Cook Islands-Samoa relationship, sending two senior officers to assist Samoa with security during the meeting to be held from October 21 to 26.

The two key Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) officers who are already in Samoa are Detective Sergeant Vainenooroa Ngametua and Detective (Senior Constable) Taneao Ngamata. They have been seconded to Samoa as part of the security services for CHOGM for about two weeks.  

In explaining the reason behind sending officers amid concerns of staff shortage, police spokesperson Trevor Pitt told Cook Islands News that the regional relationship between the Samoan and Cook Islands police remains strong, despite staff shortages

Pitt said: “The Cook Islands Police Service is maintaining solidarity with a regional policing initiative despite the pressures of ongoing staffing constraints.”

“Both Officers are experienced in public order management and close personal protection services, and have recently undergone training in Australia as part of a Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) initiative for the region to provide a Pacific policing support group (PPSG).”

Pitt stressed that the CHOGM being hosted by Samoa also provided an opportunity for regional cooperation, which the Cook Islands fully supported.

A special welcoming ceremony was held in Samoa on Tuesday to welcome the officers from Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Nauru and Papua New Guinea who are assisting Samoa in providing security for CHOGM.

Samoa’s Minister for Police Faualo Harry Schuster acknowledged each police delegations from the Pacific that have all come together to stand in unity to protect the leaders of the Commonwealth.

“Your support and your assistance from all of you who are here to help us out, bears witness and underscores a strong regional cooperation amongst Pacific Island enforcement agencies,” Schuster said.

“It is a meeting not just for Samoa but for all of us which provides an opportunity for all of us to participate and show the rest of the Commonwealth what the Pacific is and we all are leaders of the Pacific and we are the guardians of the Pacific.”