Groups more confident of Police presence on two wheels
Twenty officers from the Southern Division have graduated as qualified riders adding onto the pool of motorcycle operators for the Fiji Police Force.
In line with the Commissioner of Police’s vision to increase the mobility and efficiency of the institution, officers are being trained to operate the motorcycles as more bikes are expected to be received.
Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho said having multi-skilled officers, who can operate the bikes, will not only improve service delivery, but ensure visibility.
“We can’t afford to be stuck in traffic when attending to urgent reports and by training officers from various units, our work will not be limited to attending to traffic reports as was the norm. We now have a large pool qualified riders to choose from”. Another 100 bikes are expected to be received this month. Meanwhile stakeholders in the Western Division have welcomed the move following the deployment of six new motorcycles in the Western Division.
The six were part of the 20 bikes donated by the Hong Kong,based SGV group last month.
Fiji Taxi Union Assistant general secretary Mohammed Shameem said: “Even our taxi drivers are being cautious when driving and parking because the motorcyclists can come out from anywhere unexpectedly. They are doing a really good job.” Lautoka Market Vendors Association President Lako Ogotia said congestion on the roads has improved since the arrival of the motorcycles.
Nadi Town Carriers Association Abdul Khan said while he is happy with this new Police initiative, he feels that the motorcyclists should be made aware of the time and places where illegal operators operate.