COMPOL BUILDS TIES WITH OVERSEAS COUNTERPARTS
The Fiji Police Force is pursuing bilateral ties with international policing jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies as one of its major priorities.
And the war on drugs is another area it is pursuing with vigour, given its scope and spread.
This was revealed to Fijian diplomats bound for overseas postings during a briefing by Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho.
He told the diplomats that strengthening relations was the key to the force’s engagement with overseas partners.
The briefing was conducted for Deputy Permanent Representative
(Designate) Geneva Anare Leweniqila, Deputy Permanent Representative (Designate) New York Agnes Harm and Counsellor for the Canberra Mission (Designate) Salote Tagivakatini.
Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho said Fiji’s policing landscape had grown significantly and policing efforts in Fiji and abroad had been aided through the support of international law enforcement agencies.
“We want to keep the momentum going in Geneva, New York through the United Nations and Australia and we will work closely with your respective High Commissions to further expand the growing list of bilateral arrangements with our international partners,” he said.
“The Fiji Police works closely with Ambassador Nazhat Shameem as Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva since Fiji ratified the Convention against Torture or UNCAT.
“Any assistance that can be directed our way to help further improve our compliance will be great.”
War on drugs
As the war on drugs intensifies not only in Fiji and the Pacific, but around the world, Brig-General Qiliho said Ms Tagivakatini’s experience with Nauru Police would be of great value. “For us and Australia our focus is mainly on police to police cooperation with the Australian Federal Police, which is growing with officers being seconded to Fiji and they are working closely with our Transnational Crime Unit.
“An agreement was recently signed between Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Tonga specifically focusing on transnational crimes and drugs because it is no longer a problem for one country to fight alone.
“It needs to be fought collectively, which is why we have gone on this route in strengthening police to police co-operation with our regional neighbours”.