The Cook Islands is taking part in the inaugural U.S.–Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers (COPMIN), under way in Los Angeles from 21 to 22 October 2026, bringing together Pacific police ministers, senior officials, law enforcement leaders and United States officials to strengthen cooperation against transnational organized crime and other emergent threats to peace and security.
The Cook Islands delegation is led by Hon. Sonny Williams, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, and includes the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Prime Minister Ms Karopaerangi Ngatoko, who leads whole-of-government national security coordination, emergency management, and national ICT.
Co-chaired by the Hon. Jennifer Olegeriil, Minister of Justice of Palau, and Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, the two-day conference focuses on drug trafficking, maritime and port security, community and faith-based approaches to transnational organized crime, cyber-enabled crime and online scams, and illicit finance. The programme includes working sessions and field visits to the Port of Long Beach, FBI, DEA and LAPD field offices.
For the Cook Islands, the issues on the table are close to home. The country’s 15 islands sit within an Exclusive Economic Zone of around 1.8 million square kilometres, an ocean area larger than Western Europe. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and organised crime often share the same vessels and routes, and in a small population even limited drug activity can have a disproportionate impact on families and communities.
“Transnational crime does not respect borders, and no Pacific country can tackle it alone,” said Hon. Sonny Williams. “The Cook Islands supports practical cooperation with all our partners, built through the regional arrangements our Leaders and Police Ministers have already agreed, and in a way that respects the sovereignty and capacity of every Pacific nation.”
The Cook Islands comes to COPMIN building on the outcomes of the Pacific Police Ministers Meeting held in Fiji in May, where the Prime Minister called for small island states to be able to take part in regional mechanisms in ways that fit their capacity, including information sharing and support to operations, alongside the deployment of vessels.
Domestically, the Government has strengthened its response to emerging threats this year, passing the Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Act in May, establishing the Cybercrime Laboratory within the Cook Islands Police Service, and progressing work on a National Cyber Security Centre with support from New Zealand. Through the Chief of Staff, the Office of the Prime Minister is also leading effort to coordinate and align whole-of-government action to address emergent national security threats, through the reinstatement of the National Security Committee and development of the next National Security Policy.
“COPMIN is an important opportunity to listen, to learn from partners and to make sure the voice of small island states is heard,” said Ms Ngatoko. “Our people, our churches and our island communities are among our strongest protections against drug harm, and we want any regional response to recognise the role of health, faith and community alongside policing.”
The delegation will report on the outcomes of the conference to Government on its return.
