[File Photo]

Fijians must brush aside the perception that Police are enemies of common issues and incidents prevalent in society today.

This was highlighted by Commissioner of Police, Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho, as officers continue their effort to halt the cultivation of illegal drugs, increasing road patrols and surveillance to ensure Fijians follow the COVID-19 safe protocols.

Qiliho says plans are also in place to acquire the platform for spraying to halt this illegal activity.

He adds this tactic was used by the New Zealand Police Force to ensure approaches taken to track down culprits do not pose any harm or danger to the environment.

“And for us to continuously use manpower to physically go out and continuously use drones, it won’t be as effective as reviewing our current operations and changing the way do things. We certainly have to lift it another level what we’ve seen on Kadavu, especially during operations now.”

Qiliho says they have been uprooting almost daily for about two months which is worrying for the Force.

He says the quantity of the substance being uprooted and the monetary value that goes with it is alarming.