Statement

The Fiji Police Force reaffirms its commitment to its role as stipulated in the Counter Narcotics Strategy of supply reduction, through both the reactive and proactive arms of policing.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Livai Driu made the reassurances amidst concerns about alleged police inaction in arresting those involved in the illicit trade.

“We are making arrests almost on a daily basis and this is a reflection of our ongoing efforts, and every arrest and seizure is contributing to overall reduction efforts.”

ACP Driu says all information received is carefully assessed and acted upon in due course.

“The nature of drug operations differ and some do take time to execute as the main intent is to secure a successful prosecution. There are several units involved that back up the divisional operational efforts such as the Fiji Detector Dog Unit, FPF K9 Unit and Serious Organized Crime and Intelligence Unit.”

Apart from the enforcement, officers are also actively engaging as many sectors of our communities as possible in the proactive arm through community policing.

“The community has a huge role to play, and we have noticed a major shift of acceptance in working with law enforcement with the sharing of information and a genuine desire to empower communities by way of the volume of invitations received for community awareness.”

The head of the Fiji Police operations is also urging community members to link up with their Crime Prevention Committees (CPC) and Neighbourhood Watch Zones, through their respective Divisional Manager Community Policing (DMCP).