Police are currently investigating a complaint lodged by some families from the Newtown Settlement after 3 youths were allegedly assaulted by police officers at the Valelevu Police Station Bure at the end of December last year.
Divisional Police Commander Southern, Wate Vocevoce says the investigation in relation to the allegation is currently being conducted by the CID officers.
One of the alleged victims, Meli Rabonu says they are lucky to be alive and he is hoping that the Acting Commissioner of Police will look into the issue and deal with the officers because they believe that this trend needs to stop or many more will lose their lives due to this kind of action.
Rabonu says after their grog session on the night of the last Sunday of 2023, they had some homebrew and were later approached and searched by police officers who came in a police vehicle.
The 20-year-old says an argument then started between the youths and the officers as the youths claimed that the officers did not return the money that was taken from them.
This resulted in one of them being taken to Valelevu Police Station.
Rabonu says they also went to the Valelevu Police Station, and upon their arrival, they saw their cousin allegedly being assaulted by police officers.
He alleges that they were also assaulted after questioning the officers. One of the victims, Sunia Dari was admitted at the CWM Hospital with a dislocated jaw after the alleged assault while Jimi Vania and Rabonu are still recovering.
