Police officers need higher allowances and modern tools like drones capable of carrying marijuana hauls from remote Kadavu plantations to strengthen the force’s fight against crime, Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma told Parliament.
In the debate on the Fiji Police Force 2020-2021 annual report, Mr Sharma said the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence had seen firsthand the struggles of frontline officers.
“What the committee noted was, we need to increase the allowances of the officers,” he said.
“One of the other suggestions was that locating the marijuana plantation was easy, but getting it back to the site was difficult.
“What I am personally recommending here are drone cargos that can carry 80kilograms to 100kilograms in a distance of 15 kilometres to 20 kilometres.”
He pushed for tighter border security, calling for more K9 units and scanners at domestic ports.
On cybercrime, Mr Sharma urged closer cooperation with mobile network providers.
“We would like to ask the Fiji Police Force if that exists or can there be an MOU with the network providers so that it is easier for the force to trace numbers, get information, call logs, just within hours, days, or even less than a week,” he said.
Mr Sharma backed body cameras for the police and Land Transport Authority officers, describing them as essential for transparency and officer safety.
He also raised concerns about the handling of animal protection complaints, citing difficulties reported by the public when dealing with police stations.
He addressed Fiji’s suicide statistics, calling it “a very worrying matter” and urging that men’s mental health be given equal attention.
“We must break the stigma that surrounds men and mental health,” he said.
