Burglary on the rise Police beef up operations in the North
THE recent reports of burglary cases in the rural and urban centres on Vanua Levu have forced police to beef up operations and strengthen community partnerships.
After these recent break-ins that have also involved secondary school students in which residential and commercial properties have been targeted, police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said they had promptly responded to arrest thieves.
“More visibility and visitations are being conducted and there have been arrests made and suspects produced in court,” she said.
“Operations have also been beefed up.”
And in a bid to support police, the Northern Duavata Crime Prevention Carnival committee will raise funds for a police mobile caravan. Committee president Satish Kumar said this was imperative to help police move into red zones in these caravans and not on foot.
“We have been discussing this issue with the police and we need to support them so we can reduce the crime cases, especially theft in town,” he said.
“Our members of the Labasa Chamber of Commerce have become victims so we need to all get onboard to work with police.
“The caravan will be taken around to red zone areas and police, if they like, can be stationed there for a few days or weeks to help curb crime. They can always move around places in this caravan.”
Mr Kumar said they would also buy more CCTV cameras for the town area including backstreets.
This week, a restaurant in Labasa Town was broken into as thieves allegedly took off with gas cylinders.
Rakio Petero (left) with his father Hagino and mother Esmerelda after the Fiji Police Force passing-out parade at Nasova, Suva yesterday.