Introduction to the Special Issue—Policing in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: Navigating Culture, Context, and Organizational Terrain

Abstract

The Pacific Islands region is known for its strength of culture and traditional ways of knowing and being, including traditional systems of justice. Chiefly systems were present in many parts of the Pacific long before colonization and have had a continu-ous presence; they have often coexisted alongside the state-based systems that were later introduced. In the present, those in the Pacific region are finding ways to adapt traditional approaches in response to the adoption of international agreements. The contemporary policing landscape in the Pacific region is also influenced by regional networks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, which includes a Women’s Advisory Network, highlighting the need and commitment to supporting Pacific women in policing. Australia and New Zealand are prominent partners in the region, with membership of key regional organizations and ongoing commitments to support Pacific Policing through capacity development programs and cross-border and regional partnerships aimed at addressing transnational crime. The aim of this special issue is to showcase research on policing in Pacific Island countries and territories. Specifically, the issue is concerned with contextual responses to police service provision, the tensions that affect police–community relations, issues of police legitimacy, the role of context and organizational culture, and the changing face of crime and criminality. We have given primary consideration to papers that report empirical research and reflect on how the policing remit in the Pacific region asset. The study, which was undertaken at the request of the Guam Police Department, discusses the struggle to maintain police officer numbers as part of the local context. Having exam-ined demographic variables, social variables and police–citizen interaction variables, the researchers highlight that police–citizen interaction, and specifically procedural justice, police performance, and police legitimacy were the most important predictors of satisfaction with police service provision. The findings suggest receptiveness among community members to work with police and document the importance of positive interactions for satisfaction with police service provision. They provide encouragement to continue with community policing strategies, which focus on community engagement, organizational transformation, and problem-solving.