The whole idea of the meeting is to better people's perception of their own safety - Tikoduadua

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad, and the Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration, Pio Tikoduadua, have been briefed by the Fiji Police Force on their strategic plan.

Speaking to the media after the briefing, Tikoduadua says the whole idea of their meeting was to know how they will increase and improve people's perception of their own safety because of the Police.

He says the Force has shown them their immediate, short and long-term plans.

The Minister says the immediate goals are those things that do not need significant legislative changes.

He adds these are things like community policing and how to enhance it, increase police visibility within the public, and what kind of capabilities can the Police get immediately to be able to further their presence out there in the public and make the people safe.

Tikoduadua says their medium plans are enhancing their communications, mobility and other issues, such as Police welfare to allow them to go out and stay out a little longer in the different places they get deployed to do police work, especially in the rural areas.

He says the real long-term plan is the review of the Police Act.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad says the Government is very pleased with the work the Police are doing, and the plans he saw yesterday make him feel very confident that the Police would be able to deal with some of the perceptions.