Ratu Inoke completes crime prevention dialogue
The Minister of Defence and National Security, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, completed a two-day dialogue with crime prevention committees in the Nadi and Namaka area in a bid to strengthen public-private sector partnerships to fight crimes
“The Fiji Police Force is strongly promoting the Duavata Community Policing Initiative and I envisage the re-establishment of the National Crime Board to oversee crime prevention at the national level,” Ratu Inoke said. In Nadi, Minister Kubuabola met with the Namaka and Sabeto Crime Prevention Committees where community leaders raised their concern regarding the need to increase manpower and the establishment of police posts in Wailoaloa, Martintar, Votualevu, Nasoso and at the junction of Sabeto Road.
“The involvement of church leaders, priests and faith based organisations in Nadi is encouraging as values are brought to the forefront of crime prevention,” Ratu Inoke said. The Namaka Police Station is situated at the Airports Fiji Limited land boundary. The current Namaka Police Station was a dwelling house and then later converted to the CAAF Health Center before the demand for safety and security of the airport increased and resulted in the transformation of the Health Centre transformed into a Police station in 1979.
There are about 58,000 people in Namaka with 62 Police Officers serving the community.
“The Fiji Police Force cannot fight crime alone. We need the support and assistance of the public. Often, we forget that the police is the people themselves and the people is the Police,” he said as he quoted Sir Robert Peel’s philosophy. Namaka has eight zones and Sabeto has four zones. The Police officers from the respective stations are also divided in the zones to allow communities, villages and the general public access the Police. “The Central Crime Prevention Committee which is elected through the zone committees is impressive and seems to be supportive of Police work in Namaka. “The Central Committee meets every month and before zone meetings and the partnerships between, the private, public and the Police are, in my view, effective,” Ratu Inoke said.
Community policing is described as a partnership between the Police and the community to create and maintain a safe and secure environment conducive to a better quality of life fostering a crime free society.