Praneeta Prakash 
Sateki said corruption was not part of the Fiji Police Force's culture and should not be viewed as an organizational problem. [Photo: FILE]
The Fiji Police Force has rejected claims that corruption is systemic within the organization.
According to the Force, allegations of misconduct involve individual officers and are dealt with through established investigative processes.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Meli Sateki made the comments while appearing before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence during its review of the Fiji Police Force 2021–2022 Annual Report.
Committee Member Penioni Ravunawa today raised concerns about reports of corruption and misconduct involving police officers.
Sateki said corruption was not part of the Fiji Police Force’s culture and should not be viewed as an organizational problem.
“We have a process that anyone who is alleged, and there is a case against a police officer on corruption, and there is credible evidence, after that process through to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, there is a process for the person to be set aside from work.”
ACP Sateki stresses that while complaints and reports against officers are received, every allegation is assessed and investigated before any action is taken.
“He is suspended from work to allow a proper administration of the investigation. This is the process that we have. But to send somebody directly home without having credible information, without evidence, without being sanctioned from an independent oversight, like the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, it’s something that we don’t encourage.”
ACP Sateki adds that the organization remains committed to upholding professional standards and ensuring that any officer found to have breached the law is held accountable through the appropriate legal processes.
