T

he Australian government says it will donate three patrol boats to Indonesia’s National Police to help the nation tackle human smuggling in the region.

Australian Home Minister Brendan O’Connor met with National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo on Wednesday and said construction of three high-speed patrol boats for the Indonesian National Police was well underway.

“The 16-meter patrol boats are worth almost US$5 million and will help the Indonesian National Police respond to and deter human smuggling in the region,” O’Connor said.

“The three vessels have been designed and built by an Australian company and have been constructed in stages in Perth, Vietnam and Singapore,” he said.

More than $2 million will be provided for operational support and ongoing maintenance of the vessels after they are deployed later this year.

“These high-speed patrol boats will be based at strategic locations across Indonesia as an active force in the ongoing fight against human smuggling,” O’Connor said.

Jakarta hosts around 14,000 refugees from Afghanistan intercepted on their way to Australia.

More than 6,200 human arrived by boat in Australian waters last year.

Australia has long been a destination for human from poor, or war-ravaged countries hoping to start a new life.

O’Connor also visited the construction site of the National Police’s Cyber Crimes Center inside National Police headquarters in Jakarta.

“The Gillard Government is investing $4.8 million in the fit out of the new center, as well as law enforcement equipment and training for the Indonesian officers who will work at the center.”

“When completed, the Cyber Crime Center will help Indonesian police to target the financing of human smuggling and other transnational crime, by using computer forensic and high-tech crime investigation techniques,” O’Connor said.

“Residents of both our countries are increasingly using the cyber world in their daily lives — and unfortunately criminals are no exception, using new technology to commit crimes such as human smuggling,” he said.

“The challenge for law enforcement agencies across the world is to stay ahead of the curve. Criminals don’t respect national borders, so we must find ways to work more closely together.”