Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua [File Photo]

Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua says the 2025/2026 budget is designed to deliver real results by supporting frontline officers, improving community policing, and building long-term institutional resilience.

While responding to the budget, Naivalurua says the Police Force has been allocated an increased budget to enhance security and crime prevention measures across the country.

He says safety and security are the bedrock of national development, and this budget empowers both the Ministry of Policing and the Fiji Police Force to fulfill their mission.

Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua [File Photo]

“Without strong policing and effective national security institutions, we cannot build public confidence in our collective future. We meet at a time of unprecedented security challenges, both globally and domestically. The rapid escalation of cyber threats, the scourge of illicit drugs, and the rise of transnational organized crime and the evolving tactics of criminal enterprises demand decisive leadership and bold investment.”

Naivalurua also called the establishment of the Fiji Counter-Narcotics a “national shield” against the growing threat of methamphetamine and synthetic drug trafficking.

He highlighted that major drug bust involving 4.1 tonnes of methamphetamine as evidence of the scale of the crisis.

Naivalurua says this is not just a policing issue; it’s a national emergency.

“It demands a moral awakening, a national security consciousness that sees illicit drugs not just as contraband but as a threat to our families, our identity, and our future. When I say national security consciousness, I mean a collective mindset and taking of responsibility across society, from schools to churches and from villages to urban centers, where drug abuse and illicit trafficking are not tolerated, not glorified, and not hidden. Where every parent, teacher, chief, youth leader, sports coach, and social influencer plays their role in prevention, where silence is no longer complicity, and reporting is seen as a civic duty.”

Naivalurua adds that the Ministry is promoting and driving an illicit drug-free Fiji that will involve multi-stakeholders’ engagement.

He adds that we must not allow Fiji to be used as a narco-traffic playground.

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