STATEMENT

The Fiji Police Force is gravely concerned with the way false and misleading information is being used to derail current COVID-19 containment efforts.

The misinformation is being fuelled by self-centred individuals who are only thinking about advancing their personal agendas without thinking of the consequences their actions have on the greater public and the greater good which is to return to some form of normalcy.

While we acknowledge every individual’s rights to freedom of expression, these rights are not absolute and come with a greater sense of responsibility.

The recent accusations made against the Fiji Police Force in the way a situation was handled in the Sigatoka area is an example of misinformation which was quickly used by certain individuals in the hope of advancing their political agendas.

All actions and processes followed in the handling of the situation were in accordance with the Public Health Act and it was not done as a form of intimidation to silence critics who were speaking out against ongoing containment efforts as claimed by some.

What must be understood is that the Fiji Police Force will conduct necessary investigations when an issue is brought to our attention to determine the truth before the next course of action is decided.

Some of those sharing the false information will go to the extent of using others to push their agendas and that is what we want people to avoid being caught up in.

We don’t want to be arresting people as this has always been seen as a last resort which is why we are pleading with Fijians to be cautious about sharing and acting on unproven and unsupported information.

Majority of those who are spreading false and misleading information are doing so without a second thought for those who are wanting to go back to work, for the families who have been separated for a long period of time, for families who cannot accord their loved ones their final farewell, for those who are missing important family milestones, for front-line workers who have spent weeks and months away from the comforts of their homes and for Fiji's future generation whose education is being halted as we try to contain the virus.

What these selfish individuals have managed to do is cause a divide in society where we are turning against each other rather than working together to fight the virus that has impacted and changed our lives.

In recent days the positives of how cooperation can help us return to some form of normalcy has been seen with thousands of Fijians returning to work and businesses operating under strict health guidelines.

We should be treating the virus as the enemy and not each other and the best and easiest way to win this battle is to listen and follow advisories and news about the pandemic from the Ministry of Health and relevant trusted stakeholders.

The longer we remain defiant the longer the battle will be.

ACTING COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

Rusiate Tudravu