A 50-year-old man has been charged for making false claims against the Nausori Police and will front the Nausori Magistrates Court today.
He has been charged with one count of giving false information.
Commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu had directed an investigation into an alleged case of giving false information in relation to the claims of police brutality in Nausori.
On the 5th of February this year, a complaint was lodged alleging officers based at the Nausori Police Station had assaulted a man when attending to a report of drinking in a public place.
The complainant also alleged that his mobile phone was damaged during the incident.
The Commissioner then directed the Internal Affairs headquarters division to investigate the allegations made against the Police officers.
Internal Affairs investigations found the allegations of assault to be inconsistent with the statements and evidence gathered.
The investigators gathered statements from four civilians, all of whom stated that the complainant was not assaulted, and that he was intoxicated.
Two members of the complainant’s family also stated that they did not witness any assault.
CCTV footage obtained from where the supposed assault took place, also ruled out the allegations made.
The medical examination report showed minor injuries that were however inconsistent with any assault.
Commissioner Tudravu says while he respects everyone's rights to the freedom of expression and speech, members of the public must not forget their obligation to ensure that it is based on facts.
He warns that once a criminal breach is apparent, police will step in.
He adds social media is becoming increasingly toxic and some think they can say whatever they want without any consequence.
Tudravu says they will step in if a line has been crossed.
He stresses there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation in circulation, and we need to put a stop to it, as digital violence also harms, impacting real lives and families.
