Police to strengthen school advocacy amid student drug concerns

The Fiji Police Force will step up its role in school-based advocacy programmes as part of a coordinated response to growing concerns over drug use among students.

This followed a meeting between Minister for Policing and Communications Ioane Naivalurua and Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro, where both agreed that early, targeted and sustained intervention at the school level was critical.

Discussions focused on identifying so-called red-zone schools that would benefit from intensified advocacy and prevention efforts, with an emphasis on proactive engagement before risks escalate.

Proposed measures include increased police involvement in school advocacy programmes, the broadcast of daily community policing messages on selected radio platforms, the use of billboards to reinforce drug-free messaging, and the re-establishment of the Domonivuli programme to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use.

The Ministers also noted emerging concerns such as student involvement in drug selling, as well as the use of drugs for sports performance enhancement and recreational purposes.

School principals were encouraged to take a leading role in addressing these issues, with government schools expected to set the standard.

Other proposals discussed included reviewing the school curriculum to better address drug-related risks, introducing counselling programmes in schools, and strengthening monitoring mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of existing advocacy initiatives.

Both Ministers reaffirmed the need for a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to guide students towards positive futures and safeguard the wellbeing of young people nationwide.