Contextualising policing in Melanesia: History, adaptation and adoption problematised

Dialogue about policing in the South Pacific emphasises the need for policy reform, revised strategizing to respond to shifting stakeholder demands and the need for improved capacity building at the organisational level. These discussions, however, appear mostly concerned with establishing strategies that align with those of powerful neighbours or reflect a general focus on spill-over problems facing larger developed territories who are not as constrained by limited resources, somewhat dated legislation and lacking related policies to inform and regulate policing practices. This chapter attempts to make a modest contribution to discussions about external interventions on policing issues in Melanesia. We highlight the realities specific to small island territories and discuss the dangers of transposing first-world policy philosophies and solutions to these contexts. The goal is to add to scholarly discussions by increasing awareness of the criticality of positions on the Global South from the Global South.