‘Provide evidence’
OPPOSITION MP Viliame Naupoto claims there are bad signs that the top echelon of the Fiji Police Force is becoming politically aligned to the Government of the day, which he says is not good for the force now and in the future.
Mr Naupoto said the Minister of Home Affairs, Pio Tikoduadua, should be reminded that the force is a law enforcement agency and not a political entity.
“His job as a minister is to resource the Fiji Police Force to enable them to do what they are required to do,” Mr Naupoto said.
Referring to comments in the media that drug networks operated with impunity under the previous administration, Mr Naupoto said the comments were irresponsible, given the hard work carried out by the force over the years to fight drugs.
“The Home Affairs minister should provide evidence to justify his claim, as he knows very well that when speaking about an issue that is of serious concern to Fiji, it is important that he speaks facts and not politicise the issue.
“According to media reports, police uncovered a meth lab in a night club in Nadi, and there have been similar discoveries in 2013 and 2015 in Suva.
“In 2004, police found chemicals big enough to produce 2200 pounds of crystal meth in a factory outside Suva.
“The fight against drugs is and will continue to be an ongoing operation.”
Mr Naupoto said drug traffickers and criminals always study the security landscape to assess the risk to their criminal operation.
“The recent drug busts indicate that criminals are exploiting a weak and unmanageable security situation and the enforcement at our borders is weak.”
Mr Naupoto said the police were already embedded with many internal challenges, “and they need all the support from the Government to assist them to modernise and be postured correctly to meet the evolving criminal trends, and the last thing they need is the constant interference by the minister and politicians”.
While the police force said it does not comment on political statements by politicians, acting Commissioner of Police Juki Chew said: “If you look back over the years, which institution in Fiji has been making these drug seizures/arrests, it’s the Fiji police, and we will continue to work with our bilateral partners/stakeholders to minimise the drug issues in Fiji.”