$200.6m allocation will be put to good use, says Police Commissioner
Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho has assured the Government and the people of Fiji that the budget allocated to the Fiji Police Force will be put to good use.
The Force was allocated $200.6 million in the 2020-2021 national budget announced by the AttorneyGeneral and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, on Friday night.
The Budget Estimates revealed that the Force was seeking out and integrating new technologies to help fight crimes of increasing levels of sophistication, which included the acquirement of advanced forensics science tools, the digitalisation of the criminal records system within Force, and the procurement of drones for enhanced surveillance in maritime and hard to reach places.
To adapt to Fiji’s evolving criminal landscape, the Force is increasingly focused on preventing cybercrimes and combating the distribution and use of illegal drugs.
Brigadier-General Qiliho thanked the Government for its confidence in the Fiji Police Force in assisting the country’s economic recovery through a safe and conducive economic environment.
“We can see that clearly the Government’s intention on that and the onus is on the Fiji Police Force to deliver to the expectations of the Government and the people of Fiji,” he said.
“As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand the economic impact that’s there and the importance of security and the responsibility is with us.
“We have to be smarter with the way we do our operations and we are thankful to the Government for giving us that budget and we assure the Government and the people of Fiji that we will certainly put it to good use as we strive for better results.”