Suva CCTV rollout sees street dwellers move from monitored areas
Facial recognition cameras are operating at 15 sites, with more locations planned.
Wednesday 05 August 2026 | 15:30
Multiple surveillance and traffic camera are been place in and around Suva City on August 4, 2026.
Photo: Ronald Kumar
Suva's expanding network of facial recognition CCTV cameras is already prompting street dwellers to move away from monitored areas of the capital, according to the Suva City Council (SCC).
SCC acting chief executive officer Tevita Boseiwaqa said the council had received confirmation from the Fiji Police Force that the cameras were influencing behaviour on the ground, even before any formal enforcement operation.
"The knowledge of knowing that there are surveillance cameras, we can see that they are moving away from where we have installed the cameras," Mr Boseiwaqa said.
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He said Divisional Police Commander Central Luke Cerenasiga confirmed the trend during a joint meeting this week.
"According to the Police, they've confirmed that most of them have moved away and moved to another area," Mr Boseiwaqa said.
He cautioned that this did not mean people had disappeared from the streets, but rather that their numbers had declined in areas covered by the cameras.
Mr Boseiwaqa said the council would verify the trend through its own research and data before deciding on the next steps.
The cameras are part of the Fiji Police Force's Safe City Project with Telecom Fiji, which includes facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition technology operating at 15 sites, with civil works under way for another 17 locations.
Mr Boseiwaqa said the council was also working towards a joint operation similar to one in Lautoka, involving the Fiji Police Force and the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, to address street begging.
