Top cop warns officers

Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho reminded his officers that police vehicles “are not your personal vehicles”. “They don’t belong to you or the Fiji Police Force. They belong to the people of Fiji because Government’s purpose in allocating these resources to us is so that we are able to serve all Fijians,” he said.

Brig-Gen Qiliho said the abuse and the lack of care for mobility assets continued to be a thorn on their side. He said it was because those holding senior ranks at station level had not been able to put a stop to the unauthorised runs, abuse and misuse of vehicles and other problems that they were allowing to fester.

“Why is it so hard to stop? You can’t stop it because you’re doing the very thing that you are supposed to be telling those under your command not to do,” he said. “So how do you expect to right the wrong when you are the one who is wrong?

“Officers, this is what leadership is all about. You need to live by examples so that you can lead by example.” Brig-Gen Qiliho said it was extremely disappointing and equally frustrating to continuously receive complaints against their services.

“I don’t want the Fiji Police Force to be labelled as an organisation guilty of providing nothing but lip service,” he said.

“As leaders and middle managers in your respective divisions and units, you need to step up and be accountable for the officers under your command. Citing an example, BrigGen Qiliho said a board of inquiry was conducted in regards to a Police officer who caused the sinking of a police boat with two outboard engines. “When we disciplined a special constable in charge of the boat at the Korolevu Police Post, he left the boat.

“The post officer never bothered to go and have a look at the boat and the boat sank with its two engines.

“This is the type of responsibility I’m talking about. The post officer is responsible for that boat, not the boat handler.”

He reiterated to the officers that if they were in charge of a station they must take responsibility for its assets.

“I know that routine policing is at your fingertips, but you are holding a senior rank which is tagged with a different level of responsibility which, so sad to say, you are ignoring.”

Brig-Gen Qiliho said he expected more from those officers holding senior ranks.

“You are receiving the benefits, so therefore you have more on your plate,” he said.

“It is becoming evident that some OCs, SOs are not earning their pay honestly.”

Meanwhile, the Fiji Police Force received another 46 vehicles from the Government yesterday.

While handing over the vehicles to allocated divisions and units, Brig-Gen Qiliho said: “Fijians depend on us to get them to safety and if it were not for the increased number of vehicles we had lately, our efforts would not have been as efficient.

“We were the first point of contact and therefore we were the first responders,” he said.