Responses by security partners ‘more personnel-driven’
RECURRING street violence in Pacific Island Countries showcases the ineffectiveness of existing efforts to prevent and respond to such behaviour.
This was part of the conclusion drawn in a report titled Riots in the Pacific: Control and Change, which was authored by Australian National University (ANU) affiliate researcher Dr Anouk Ride.
The 25-page report, which was released by ANU’s Australia Pacific Security College, also highlighted that responses to riot events by security partners such as Australia, New Zealand and China were more personneldriven and capacity-focused.
“This recurrence of violence suggests these existing efforts by the government, security partners, and the police force itself have not been very effective in preventing and responding to riot violence,” the report noted.
“Unfortunately, security partners like Australia and New Zealand have thus far been reluctant to engage with the underlying causes of riot events, either rhetorically or through funding conflict prevention in urban areas.
“There has been a tendency for riots to fall between the cracks of crime prevention and peacebuilding initiatives. Crime prevention rarely includes measures aimed at occupying young men to discourage them from violence.”
The report also stated peacebuilding efforts often focused on preventing conflicts such as organised civil wars.
It also called for more effort to examine emerging trends and conflicts arising from pressures such as urbanisation, economic exclusion,
Asian migration, lack of youth employment, political transitions and dissent around national governance.
“Pacific governments themselves must be self-reflective by acknowledging that existing governance structures are often unresponsive and lack outlets for peaceful dissent such as protest and dialogue.
“Given the frequency of Pacific riot events in the recent past, and the likelihood they will occur again in the near future, there is an opportunity to proactively intervene to reduce future damage, loss of life, fear and instability.
“In 2022 and beyond, we need to understand riots as situational factors, actors and grievances bound in processes.
“Riots are not just events to “control” but conflicts that need “change” in order to prevent its patterns being painted on the streets of Pacific urban areas again and again.”