Commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu, must immediately increase Police visibility and confront the growing public concern over robberies, burglaries and attacks on taxi drivers.
That is the call made by National Federation Party President, Parmod Chand as the NFP calls for intensified foot and mobile patrols around residential areas, taxi bases, bus stands, markets and identified crime hotspots.
Chand says snap checkpoints, night patrols and targeted operations against repeat offenders, receivers of stolen property, drug dealers and people carrying offensive weapons must be strengthened, and Crime Prevention Committees must also be reactivated so communities can communicate directly with officers responsible for their areas.
He stresses law abiding people should not be made prisoners in their homes while criminal elements are allowed to dominate public spaces, taxi bases, bus stands, shopping areas and residential neighbourhoods.
Chand says groups loitering at known crime hotspots, intimidating members of the public, harassing drivers, consuming alcohol, selling drugs or watching potential victims must be dealt with firmly and lawfully.
The NFP President stresses that Police must disperse these groups, conduct checks where reasonable grounds exist and make arrests whenever offences are committed.
He says public spaces belong to families, workers, students and businesses, not to people using them to threaten others or plan criminal activity.
Chand says over the past two months, two taxi drivers were badly assaulted in Wainibokasi, with one allegedly robbed and his taxi stolen, another driver was allegedly assaulted in Nadi before his cash, mobile phone and vehicle were taken, and Cunningham residents have reported repeated robberies, purse snatching and an attempted stabbing, while homes, shops and even a temple have been targeted.
He says several incidents have occurred in broad daylight and have only gained urgent attention after CCTV footage circulated publicly.
Chand says the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions reported that property crime dominated serious non-sexual offences prosecuted in July - there were nine counts of theft, seven counts of aggravated burglary and four counts of aggravated robbery, involving 42 accused persons and 22 victims.
He says the Police Commissioner must treat the fear being expressed by communities as a serious operational warning.
The NFP President says the Fiji Police Force has received considerable Government support.
He says in the 2023–2024 National Budget, the then Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad allocated $183.7 million to the Force, including $2.3 million for 100 additional constables and $700,000 specifically to strengthen Police Beat Patrols in urban and rural areas.
Chand adds in the 2025–2026 Budget, Professor Prasad increased the Police allocation to $240.3 million and provided $19.5 million for the first phase of recruiting 538 additional officers, alongside filling approximately 300 vacancies.
He says the public is entitled to ask where these additional officers have been deployed and whether they have resulted in greater visibility on the ground.
Chand also says when Pio Tikoduadua was the NFP Minister responsible for Home Affairs, he initiated the Police Reset and Restore Blue programme to strengthen operational capability, integrity, training, technology and community policing.
He says support was secured from the Australian Federal Police, and a specialist advisory team led by former New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush was brought in to assist.
Chand says the Commissioner should publish divisional figures for robbery, aggravated robbery, burglary and aggravated burglary, together with detection and prosecution rates.
He says Commissioner Tudravu must also provide a public update on Police Beat Patrols, the deployment of additional officers and the implementation of the Police Reset.
Chand says they acknowledge the frontline officers who have arrested suspects and recovered stolen property, however, effective policing cannot depend on waiting for a crime to be recorded on CCTV and circulated on social media.
We have sought comments from Police Commissioner Tudravu.
