Police Train Suva Cabbies On Stopping Attacks

Taxi drivers in a Suva suburb were taken through a training seminar on what to do should they face an attacker attempting to rob them.

A driver, Intiaz Ali, said Police officers organised the training last Saturday at the Ritova Street roundabout.

“It was a good thing. We realise that Police cannot be everywhere and we may need to be prepared should we get attacked,” Mr Ali said.

“We were told that Police had received reports of recent robberies where taxi drivers had been targeted.”

According to Mr Ali, there were certain areas where drivers refused to go to because of the high number of incidents that had taken place there.

He said they had always avoided the informal settlements in Raiwaqa and Vatuwaqa.

Taxi drivers at Ritova Street have experienced incidents where the passengers would run off with their phones.

Another driver, Ranjeet Kumar, said three drivers were robbed last week around the Jittu Estate at the end of Grantham Road.

Mr Kumar said he was very wary of who got in his cab. He has also refused to take people to certain locations which have been flagged as hotspots for robberies.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the talk and training with taxi drivers was part of their community policing approach, which aims at having safer communities.

Edited by Selita Bolanavanua

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