Fiji: Proposed legal reforms to catch up with increased transnational crime investigative activity

Around 19 December, Acting Police Commissioner Aparosa Lutunauga described changes to the 1965 Police Act being put before the government. Reforms include provisions for DNA evidence, compulsory drug testing, breathalyzer use, and digital forensics intended to support action against growing transnational crime, particularly human trafficking, drugs, and cyber crime. The proposals have to receive cabinet endorsement before a bill goes before parliament.

Assessment: Fiji has been making a number of capability and institutional changes to address increasing transnational crime over the last two years. The proposed legal reforms, if passed, will improve the likelihood of achieving prosecutions to support increased investigative activity already underway. However, maritime surveillance also remains a critical capability gap in the government’s counter-transnational crime efforts, similar to almost all large ocean Pacific states.

Sources: Praneeta Prakash, “Police Act reform targets trafficking and transnational crime,” FBC News, 19 December 2025.