The Auditor-General has once again raised concerns over the storage of exhibits at the Valelevu Police Station, describing it as a recurring issue that has not been addressed despite previous recommendations.
According to the 2023 Report on General Administration Sector, exhibits are required to be stored in chronological order in a secure exhibit store, with a card system in place to indicate the location of any exhibit kept elsewhere.
However, during a site visit on 13 April 2023, the audit team found that “the exhibit rooms used at the station are small and congested” and that “exhibits were not systematically arranged in chronological order.”
The report also noted that “instances were observed where articles in the exhibits were stacked on top of one another” and that “one of the containers used as storage had a jammed lock and could not be opened on the day of audit visit.”
A follow-up visit on 24 January 2024 found that “there were no changes to the storage of the exhibits and the issues highlighted above remain.”
The report warned that inadequate storage space poses challenges to maintaining a systematic arrangement and could lead to damage or misplacement of exhibits.
The Auditor-General recommended that the Force “ensure that all exhibits are properly stored in a safe and secured room at all times” and “maintained in chronological order with exhibit rooms kept clean and tidy.”
In its response, the Force said on the Valelevu Police Station exhibit room, the issue raised have been taken into consideration and Station Office Valelevu has been advised to submit a request for the purchase of material for making shelves and cabinet in the exhibit room.