This might lead to a major security threat in the region.
That’s the belief of the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare when welcoming Pacific Islands police chiefs in a dinner he hosted on Monday night.
Sir Michael said: “While law and order remains a major concern for all governments of our island nations, we are also experiencing rapid population growth. With this rapid growth comes the issue of our youth and regional security.”
He said their gathering with their theme “Youth offending in the Pacific and Its Impact on Regional Security” was not only timely but also appropriate.
He told them that youth was not a mere law and order challenge.
“We must change the way we look at youth as an untapped potential in our community. I am sure there are ways that we can engage them to build better communities.”
He gave an example of his government’s attempt to take on this challenge by increasing funding for vocational schools and the introduction of a new concept of community colleges for young people who had missed out on continuing their formal education, and the appointment of the only female politician Dame Carol Kidu to head the Ministry for Community Development which caters for youth needs.
This conference will provide an ideal opportunity for the participants to discuss and share ideas that may help overcome these youth challenges in the Pacific region.
Apart from youth problems the prime minister told them that island nations were having problems on surveillance, illegal fishing, and trans-national crime in the Pacific waters.
“Policing under these circumstances is a challenge that requires serious cooperation, we must pool our resources with larger states like Australia and New Zealand to man our waters,” Sir Michael said.
