Police order nationwide drug, cash exhibit audit

Police stations across Fiji are being audited for drugs and cash held in custody as Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu moves to centralise drug exhibits following concerns over exhibit security.

Mr Tudravu confirmed that a special team had been carrying out checks across all divisions for almost three weeks.

“I can comment on the Fiji Police. There’s a special team that is already out there. It’s almost three weeks now to follow up with the investigation and the checks that have been made in all divisions, based on two things: drugs, cash that are within our custody.

“There is an audit team that is going around all police stations.”

Asked whether he was concerned about the exhibits, Mr Tudravu said: “I’m concerned.”

He said drug exhibits were now being centralised at Police stations with vaults.

“What I’ve directed is that we centralise all the drug exhibits to the police stations that have their vaults, like Nadi, Lautoka, Totogo, and Police Mobile. So these are the only places where the drugs are placed.

“That is the strategy that we have followed, so that they are not at individual police stations, like the practice before. So there are some measures that we have taken.

“But I cannot comment on what the Judiciary would do.”

The move comes as Police investigate two cases involving cocaine missing from court exhibits.

Police confirmed that about 12 kilograms of cocaine from the Nikolic case was missing, while cocaine exhibits from the Rahman case were also found to be missing or tampered with.

Mr Tudravu said discussions had taken place with the Attorney-General, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions and Permanent Secretary for Justice on improving security arrangements.

“That is part of our discussion on the way forward. You know that we had a discussion with the Attorney-General, Acting DPP, the PS Justice, and there was some discussion on how we can improve the security arrangement as our way forward.”

Police officers have also been deployed to secure and guard Government Buildings in Suva.

“There was a request done and I approved that our police officers be deployed to secure and guard the Government complex.”

Asked whether the Police deployment would continue, Mr Tudravu said: “Yes, definitely, there will be.”

He said decisions on future security measures would involve other stakeholders.

“This incident has already been done. We are investigating it. But the way forward, all these things will be taken into consideration.

“And it’s not only the Police that will do that. We have all stakeholders, which need to agree and decide and have a way forward on the things that need to be done. We have other stakeholders.”