Minister for Defence, Inia Seruiratu has revealed in parliament today that there will be improved lighting in the capital city by this weekend, 20 new CCTV cameras are expected to be installed in the heart of Suva City in the next few weeks, all cameras will be monitored from a central location by Police officers and there will also be more patrol cars attending to reports of crimes.
While making his ministerial statement in parliament on Fighting Crime and War Against Drugs in Fiji, Seruiratu says although there has been a lot of talk on crime, overall crime has reduced by 8 percent while serious crime is down by 4 percent from January to June this year.
Seruiratu says he wants to put things right with regards to the crime situation as there has been a lot of attention on mainstream media and social media about it spiralling out of control which in turn has impacted public perception that Fiji is being overrun by criminals.
He says he acknowledges that certain criminal activities have drawn the nation’s interest on the recent spate of robberies, burglaries and gender based violence along with drugs that has captured the imagination of all Fijians.
Seruiratu says he is pleased that the Prime Minister and other respectable members of the community have voiced their concerns on gender based violence and on the drug situation in the country.
He also applauded the Prime Minister to have requested for meaningful community partnerships where responsible citizens are taking ownership and extending assistance to the Fiji Police Force.
Seruiratu also raised the question on whether having more police officers is the solution to reducing the domestic violence rate which has recorded a 35 percent increase between the period from January to June this year and will it help reduce crimes against women and children that have recorded increases of 2 percent and 1 percent respectively and prevent another innocent child or woman from becoming a victim of gender based violence in their own homes.
He says this is why the Prime Minister continues to call for support to help police fight crime.
However he says the reality on the ground is that Fiji is still safer in comparison to many other countries but we need to act now and be more proactive and take responsibility equally.
Seruiratu also says that the brazen attacks out in public and robberies as alluded to by the Prime Minister is likely linked to the increase in drug related activities.
The Minister for Defence says steps are being taken by Police and city and town councils through the Director of Local Government to find workable long term solutions that can keep these crime trends down.
He says the patrol car concept will be reintroduced in Suva this week where reports can be attended to in a timely manner as he knows that the response time has been an issue.
Seruiratu says discussions will also be held to link up the existing CCTV cameras to a central location where Police can view and monitor the streets of Suva and he acknowledges the Suva Retailers Association’s public declaration that they are willing to contribute financially to the purchase of more security cameras.
The Minister says this afternoon nightclub operators and their security personnel will be called in for a joint meeting with the Police and the Suva City Council to iron out issues of concern with regards to the safety of their patrons. He is also asking that the business community exercise their corporate social responsibility by assisting police in investing in these cost effective but long term solutions that can contribute to creating a safer environment for their customers.
We will have more later this afternoon.
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