War on drugs: Police take to the skies
Aerial surveillance will now be used to complement its ground operations.
The Fiji Police Force has taken its war on drugs to the skies to complement the deployment of resources on the ground. Following the raid in Kadavu, which resulted in the seizure of more than one tonne of marijuana, Police Chief of Operations, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu, yesterday launched what will now be a regular component of their operations on drugs.
“The use of a helicopter to conduct aerial surveillance is in line with the Commissioner’s intent which we are putting into action as the operation on drugs was mainly confined to the traditional form of using manpower on foot to search for the farms and this took a lot of time and effort,” Mr Tudravu said. He was accompanied by Sergeant Moape Tau, who is based at the Kadavu Police Station, to conduct aerial surveillance and confirm the existence of a number of farms based on information gathered.
“This is the first time that we would like to complement the manpower on the ground together with the intelligence and the use of a helicopter to view the farms and the land mass. We have sighted a few farms which our officers will be deployed to without having to search through the rugged terrain for hours”.
Responding to critics who have described the war on drugs as a waste of time and resources as well as repeated calls to legalise the cultivation of marijuana, Mr Tudravu said it was the Force’s role to ensure everyone’s safety.
“You cannot say that it is a waste of money because this is the life of a person and the Fiji Police Force exists to provide safety and security of the people and property and that is why money is given for operations such as this,” he said. “Why do some people insist on legalising drugs when the impact is known in Fiji. Innocent people have fallen victims to murder and rape because the perpetrator was high on drugs.”
Mr Tudravu said Kadavu was chosen to pilot the new phase of the drug operations because of the recent find.
“The drugs seized in Kadavu this past week superseded any other find and taking into account the rugged terrain, where it is hard to find the farms but with the use of a helicopter we will save a lot of time,” he said.
“For those involved in the cultivation of marijuana, don’t try to undermine how far we are willing to go to get to you. We will be able to deploy resources on the ground, on the water and in the air to show that we are serious about the war on drugs.