ACP: Police and RFMF only deploy together for national interest cases
He said the joint taskforce was activated only when necessary.
Tuesday 28 July 2026 | 17:30
Police and military officers man a checkpoint during a joint drug operation.
Photo: Police Media Cell
The Fiji Police Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) do not conduct joint deployments on a daily basis, with combined operations reserved only for cases of national interest, Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Kasiano Vusonilawe says.
Mr Vusonilawe said the two disciplined forces had clearly defined the types of cases that required a joint response, while routine incidents remained the responsibility of the relevant agency.
"There are certain cases that will come together to work together as a joint, Fiji military and the Fiji police, not all," he said.
Related stories
"We demarcate cases because there are cases of national interest. There are cases that occur every, like it's a routine occurrence. So that's where the joint task force comes in."
He said the joint taskforce was activated only when necessary.
"We do not deploy a joint team every day. There are only certain cases that we have to call each other, have brief and deploy," he said.
The taskforce, made up of senior Police and RFMF intelligence officers, was established to strengthen the response to illicit drugs and related crimes.
Its role extends beyond drug raids, with intelligence shared between the two agencies verified before officers are deployed.
Mr Vusonilawe's comments come as Fiji continues to grapple with a growing drug problem.
Earlier, Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua credited the joint operations with contributing to a 30 per cent reduction in drug-related crimes during the first quarter of the 2025-2026 financial year.
The Police and the RFMF have previously declared a "war" on drug syndicates and traffickers operating across the country.
