Dialogue Fiji on Police Radar

Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu (COMPOL) has called on Dialogue Fiji (DF) to provide evidence that the Fiji Police Force is “spinning and suppressing crime statistics date”.

His comments followed claims made in a statement by the DF Dialogue Fiji executive director Nilesh Lal that the Fiji Police Force is “spinning and suppressing crime statistics’ dates.”

Mr Lal claims the crime statistics did not reflect what is happening on the ground.

He questioned how the 14 per cent decrease in overall crime was possible when there was an outburst from the public about thefts, burglary, drug-related offences, and violent crimes.

“In our research conducted on April 25, an overwhelming majority of respondents identified crime and public safety as one of the most pressing issues in the country,” Mr Lal said.

He raised questions about public confidence in the Police and how that may be a driving factor in the

decline in statistics.

“If members of the public believe that nothing will be done, they may simply stop going to the police,” Mr

Lal said.

“That’s a deeply troubling indicator - not of progress, but of growing disillusionment with law enforcement and justice systems.”

COMPOL response

In response, Mr Tudravu, while acknowledging there is still much work to be done in restoring public confidence, said the Fiji Police Force was firm that the statistics is as per reported cases.

“I call on Mr Lal to provide evidence of his statement that we may be suppressing or spinning crime statistics data,” Mr Tudravui said.

“This is a serious claim, undermining law enforcement efforts as well as the immense contribution of community and religious leaders, groups and civil society that have been working in partnership with Police through various Crime Prevention efforts throughout the five policing divisions.

“We are reporting the crime statistics as per reported cases, which shows the reduction, and we have always acknowledged that there may be unreported cases.”

Mr Tudravu said several reports lodged were offences that took place in previous months, all of which had been investigated and those involved charged.

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