Investing in new vehicles is proving a doom for the Fiji Police Force, with the Police chief revealing his men are becoming less visible on foot.

Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho says to combat this issue, they have put in strict rules to ensure officers don’t misuse vehicles.

He says this must stop to ensure that his officers are readily available for the public on foot and via patrol vehicles.
The Police Commissioner has admitted his officers have a tendency to be more vehicle oriented than being visible on foot, which is fast becoming a concern.

“And now we’ve demanded from our officers that they will provide us with where they will stop, get off and walk the ground or where they will stop and interact with members of the community rather than what has been witnessed and what you have been saying that it’s been on a cruise mode.”

Qiliho says he has noticed during his rounds around the country that there’s a lack of highway patrol officers on the road and he wants this to change.

“Especially during lunch hours that they are there, at peak hours of traffic, at weekends when people move around, Friday evenings, Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings when people start moving back where they originated from. To check as well that they’re there at their static points at the certain time and we have demanded that they provide us that, so can check with the GPS system if they’re there at their static time and date which they have submitted to us.”

The Police Chief says he has demanded that all GPS vehicles be strictly monitored to ensure they’re on the road conducting their duties.