Courtesy Call
The New Zealand Police Senior Advisor Inspector Paris Rasoz had the opportunity to brief the Commissioner of Police Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho on the progress of the New Zealand and Fiji Police Partnership Program during a courtesy call yesterday.
The Fiji Police Partnership Program (FPPP) is a program under the multi-million dollar Fiji Police Support Project a partnership between the Government of New Zealand, Fiji Police Force and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) formalized in June 2020.
IP Rasoz who heads the FPP Program has been working with his team of advisors targeting four specific areas as agreed to with the NZ Police through consultations focusing on the development of investigative interviewing capability, development of general patrol dog capability (K9), asset recovery support and the development of Leadership & Governance capability.
IP Rasoz who arrived into the country late last year said despite the onset of the second wave of the pandemic, the team has been able to make significant progress.
He added the consultations carried out by the team have identified other specialized training needs and they were eager to discuss the way forward.
“The way New Zealand sees this program is very much a partnership”.
“It’s not about us coming here and telling Fiji what is best for you, it’s about asking you what you need and helping you in pushing your officers in front with our support in building their skills, competence and building confidence which is a big part of this”.
Commissioner of Police Brig-Gen Qiliho acknowledged the work carried out by the FPPP team adding the working relationship between the Fiji Police Force and New Zealand Police is one built on many years of mutual respect.
“We have a joint history that dates back over several decades and our Police services have been enhanced through specialized trainings offered by the New Zealand Government and New Zealand Police”.
“Our shared successes through training has been beneficial to our two countries and the Pacific region”.
Inspector Rasoz was accompanied by the NZ Police's Pacific Police Liaison Officer Inspector Suzanne Douglas.
