Police accept criticism, pleads for nation's help to fight crime

Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu says the Fiji Police Force accepts criticism over recent cases of aggravated robberies and burglaries.

However, he insists arrests alone will not fix the problem, calling instead for a whole-of-nation effort to tackle the root causes of crime.

Mr Tudravu said operational measures were already being adopted to make policing more proactive rather than reactive.

Statistics:

Despite public concern, Police statistics from January to July 2026 show most serious crimes falling compared with the same period last year.

Burglary dropped 7.3 per cent, robbery fell 32.8 per cent and aggravated robbery decreased 17.8 per cent.

Aggravated burglary was down 7.7 per cent, while theft fell 7.9 per cent.

Overall crime dropped 11 per cent, from 11,387 cases in 2025 to 10,106 this year.

One exception was motor vehicle theft, which rose from 31 cases in the first seven months of 2025 to 51 for the same period this year.

Mr Tudravu said the force needed to understand why habitual offenders kept reoffending.

“This is where we need to also focus our attention as a nation,” he said.

“We have individuals coming into the system who are habitual offenders with multiple theft or burglary cases, which begs two critical questions: why and what can be an effective deterrent?”

He acknowledged CCTV investment had helped investigations but said Police did not act only after footage surfaced on social media.

“While this will be met with scepticism, the Fiji Police Force accepts constructive criticism,” he said, inviting stakeholders to engage through its Community Policing arm.

“Crime prevention is everyone’s responsibility.”

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