The New Zealand Police’s Pacific Islands Prevention Programme (PIPP) team is working with the Cook Islands Police to develop future training needs and opportunities.

The PIPP team members arrived last week and were welcomed by Police Commissioner Turepu James Keenan. The Police Commissioner also held talks with the team leader of the NZ Police Pacific Islands Prevention Programme Inspector Brendon Keenan.

Police spokesperson Trevor Pitt said the NZ Police PIPP team was here to assist them in scoping the future training needs and seeing how certain upcoming courses may be managed. 

Pitt said the current training programme would be rolled over into a new cycle later this year.

“So there may be new priorities to factor in, for the coming months. 

“They are talking to the various divisions to better appreciate the needs in different areas of policing, such as investigations, prosecutions, etc.”

Pitt says the model they have adopted for crime prevention – Prevention Operating Model – is being reviewed in terms of effectiveness and application, and how New Zealand can support any new initiatives.