The zero tolerance by Police on public nuisance caused by drunken louts is showing results.

At Namaka, Nadi, yesterday, Police arrived at the scene of a fight between two men and averted what could have developed into an all-out brawl by early morning revellers. The residents are happy with the early intervention.

The crackdown on unruly drunkards on the street has so far helped to keep the peace and allowed people to have fun this festive season without fear of harassment from drunken louts.

Already, people have expressed their delight about the way Police have conducted themselves.

With the help of extra vehicles allocated to the Police,  patrols are more frequent and the response time to attend to complaints has improved. Police have also assigned more officers to do street patrols in vehicles and on foot.

When people go out to join the festivities and enjoy themselves they expect to have fun with no ugly incidents.

Drunken louts are not only a public nuisance but a national disgrace. They spoil the party for many people and also threaten physical harm. In their intoxicated state, they are incapable of thinking clearly and their erratic behavior makes them   high risk prospects for trouble. They should be cleared off the streets, sent to their homes or locked up in cells until they sober up.

Tough measures like that send an unambiguous message across to people that the Police do not tolerate anti-social behaviour. People going to church in the morning should never have to dodge drunkards.

With three days left to the New Year, celebrations will continue and peak on New Year’s Eve and January 1. We hope that the Police will maintain the momentum of their operations and keep our streets safe.

Bus fares reduction welcomed
We congratulate the Government for rolling out another help for the ordinary people who rely on buses for their transport.

The bus fare reduction will benefit the people and give them much-needed savings.

But we do not understand why the bus operators are protesting.

This year local fuel prices were reduced in January, April and October. That should have given bus operators substantial savings. The drop mirrored the big fall in world oil price for both Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude, a US benchmark, has fallen now from US$100 a barrel last year and US$60 a barrel in June this year to US$36 a barrel.

The VAT reduction from 15 to nine per cent will reduce living costs across the board. Reductions in VAT have no financial implication on profitability.

The duty on tyres is coming down from 31 per cent to five per cent. This is a substantial drop and will benefit the bus industry.

So what are the bus operators complaining about?

NEMANI DELAIBATIKI

Feedback:  nemani.delaibatiki@fijisun.com.fj