CRIME WAVE ON RISE IN PACIFIC - POLICE CHIEF

Organised-crime enterprises in the South Pacific are estimated to be
heading towards the trillion-dollar mark, says Police Commissioner Rob
Robinson.

Speaking at the end of the 29th South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference
in Rotorua on Friday, Mr Robinson said law enforcement agencies needed to
be working in a global context to stop the million-million-dollar flow.

"Organised crime is now of such a size that no one is immune and drug
revenue and money-laundering are huge business. We have had experts here
this week who estimate money-laundering is up around the trillion-dollar mark."

The conference focused on the problems in the South Pacific relating to
electronic crime, money-laundering and drugs.

"Whatever is happening in one jurisdiction is happening in another.
Organised crime is coming from Asia, South America and Europe," Mr Robinson
said.

"New Zealand is often used as a transshipment point for drug traffickers
and drugs are washing up on beaches all over the Pacific. As a group, we
can share ideas on how to make an impact."

The problems of money-laundering and electronic crime often went together.

Pacific countries were regularly used for the "cleaning of dirty money," he
said.

"Money-laundering is on an almost tsunami-like swell and we have passed a
resolution this week to support the establishment of financial intelligence
units for the Pacific."

The units would monitor any suspicious transactions and large currency
exchanges. The recommendation would go to the South Pacific Forum before
being passed on to Governments for consideration.

A rise in arms-trafficking led to a call for a forum for common gun control
laws across the Pacific.

Police chiefs from 21 countries attended and heard from members of the US
Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal Bureau of Intelligence, as well as a
specialist drug educator from Hawaii.