Thank You Officers

Thank you, Fiji Police Force! That’s the emotional message shared by Laudent, Priya Chand, who was aided by a group of civilian Police officers recover a jewellery allegedly stolen from her, and the apprehension of the suspected thief on Wednesday afternoon.

The neckless, worth $4500, was allegedly yanked off Ms Chand, in broad daylight by the suspect, as she was looking for other jewellery inside a shop, with her daughter.

“God was with us that day…. We never thank these people enough who are behind the good work done,” Ms Chand said.

“The most wonderful thing was that they brought a van in less than a minute: they stopped traffic for me and escorted me and my daughter in that nice van.”

Commissioner Qiliho

Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho, who is the West attending the 49th Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Conference at the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa in Denarau, Nadi, said the Lautoka incident had painted a positive outcome of the force despite other cases where some officers had painted the organisation in a negative light.

“The criminal landscape is such that we must also consider that criminal elements are studying us and the way we conduct our operations. As such, we have officers moving in major towns and city areas, both in uniform and civilian clothing. It’s a positive outcome… there are many other officers who are committed, loyal and honest to their oath of service,” Brigadier-General Qiliho said.

The Alleged Incident

While recalling the incident, Ms Chand said she was in disbelief when the suspect allegedly ran off with her necklace.

“As we entered, I was just looking around and this man quickly came and grabbed the chain, and he ran with it. I screamed out for help. I told my friend to watch my daughter who was with me, and I ran after this person. I ran towards the University of the South Pacific Campus, but I stopped because I could not chase him anymore,” she said.

“But then I saw someone running after him. He was in casual wear, and I thought it was the thief ’s friend. I found some broken pieces of the necklace that fell. I went back to the shop feeling numb and heartbroken and I knew I could never get my necklace back."

“As I sat in the shop, a Police officer walked pass. I called out to him and told him what happened.”

“He immediately entered the shop and checked the footage.”

As the Police officer reviewed the security camera footage, Ms Chand said she sat down, desperately thinking about how she would recover the necklace.

“Then, a man came knocking on the shop door. I thought to myself, ‘it must be another thief ’, but he signaled to me that he was a Police officer too and he told me, ‘Madam, we have found the thief, can you please come with us’,” she said.

“As we were going, they asked ‘madam, are you okay? Do you need water?’ I went with them to identify the thief and my jewellery he stole.”

The Officers

Constable Pauliasi Bosewaqa said their main goal to achieve daily was to keep the general public and their belongings safe. He has been in the force for the past 12 years.

Constable Bosewaqa, of Nabukeru in Yasawa, said the suspect was marked a “a new face” in Lautoka and they had kept a close watch on him for a while during their routine patrols on the streets.

“At the time of the alleged incident, some officers ran on foot to catch him while some were in the van, following him as well,” Constable Bosewaqa said.

Constables Rusiate Bainivalu and Mosese Salabogi apprehend the suspect near Namoli Village.

“The main thing that we are happy about is recovering the jewellery that was precious to Ms Chand,” he said.

“We are continuing to work to counter the problem and keep the public safe so they can feel free to move around.”

The suspect has been charged.

Feedback: nicolette.chambers@fijisun.com.fj