Just be blue, Pio tells police boss

HOME Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua’s message to the newlyappointed Acting Police Commissioner Juki Fong Chew is “just be blue”.

When they met for the first time on Friday after Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho’s suspension, Mr Tikoduadua told Mr Chew that building back confidence in the Fiji Police Force would take some time.

During the meeting, the minister urged the Acting Police Commissioner to focus on the Fiji Police Force motto — Salus Populi (safety of the people).

The minister said it was public knowledge that he had invited Brig-Gen Qiliho to resign, however, he had chosen to go through the COC.

“The COC has done its process, which is independent of me and I have nothing to do with it,” Mr Tikoduadua said.

“Also in that process, the COC has appointed an Acting Commissioner and the Acting Commissioner came to see me this (Friday) morning as a matter of courtesy.

Mr Tikoduadua said it was his first time to meet Mr Chew, and he had spoken to the Acting Commissioner about his role under the Constitution, and the need for him to carry out his role professionally.

“That’s all the guidance that I gave him.

“Just be blue and the rest of the police work is guided by that under the law.

“Because obviously, the confidence of the people is centered around those two things.”

Mr Tikoduadua said he understood there were some people who had genuine grievances towards the police force which needed to be addressed.

“The matter of confidence building is something that is going to happen over time. It’s not instant. It’s not immediate.

“There are numerous, so many complaints about the police, that’s what I’m inheriting.

“Some are genuine, some are not but it is a matter for the new commissioner to go into this.”