Police Allowed to Be Armed Under Law: Tikoduadua
“If you ask me personally, I would rather have a police wholly capable of dealing with a threat, including those that are armed and shooting at them, but in blue, not in green.”
Friday 31 January 2025 | 15:41
Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Pio Tikoduadua, discussed the importance of police being appropriately equipped and trained to handle potential threats, especially in the fight against illicit drugs.
Mr Tikoduadua emphasised the connection between drugs and arms, pointing out the significant threats posed by both in the illicit drug war.
“Drug is related to arms, and there is a significant threat related to it,” Mr Tikoduadua said.
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“Police cannot be carrying batons when people are shooting at them or in the threat of drugs.”
Under Fiji law, the police force is allowed to arm itself, but Tikoduadua noted the need for a careful approach.
“I think we really need to seriously look at the capability in that area, because it’s very important to keep these two roles separate,” he explained.
“Yes, they may be supporting the police, but, you know, there’s always soldiers in a supportive role, and that’s kind of a fixed thing.
“If you ask me personally, I would rather have a police wholly capable of dealing with a threat, including those that are armed and shooting at them, but in blue, not in green.”
Regarding any challenges in implementing this, Mr Tikoduadua said the main issue was police not having the proper arms.
“The only thing is, because they do not have the arms. Police do not have the arms. They are empowered under law to be armed, but they do carry arms only in times of emergency.”
He emphasised the importance of ensuring that police have the right kind of weapons and proper training.
“They’ve got to make sure they have the right kind of capability, the right arms,” he said.
This, according to Mr Tikoduadua, would be addressed under the police ‘reset’ initiative.
“The situation continues to evolve, and we’re going to look after the safety of our police. Hopefully, when they get to use arms, if they need to, they’ll be properly trained.
“Make sure that they are ready for the protection of the law and the people.”
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