Fiji Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho says it is important that reporters and editors understand that situations are different and responses will be different based on immediate needs on the ground as assessed by officers, rather than drawing assumptions.
Brig-Gen Qiliho clarified this in a statement while refuting claims against poor police response times in relation to the brawl that broke out at Raiwai yesterday morning.
He clarified that Raiwaqa Police Station received a call for assistance at around 7.30am whereby officers attending to a report of a drunk and disorderly case at Jittu Estate were called back, and along the way picked up officers from Grantham Community Post and attended to the scene.
He said a task force team from Nabua and Valelevu were also called in to reinforce efforts that were focused on more than just the arrest and detention of the suspects.
“Upon arriving at the scene, uniformed officers attended to one of the suspects who had sustained serious injuries during the incident, and transported him to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital where he is still admitted,” Brig-Gen Qiliho said.
He stressed that at the same time, a fire call was conducted at the Raiwaqa Police Barracks where officers in civilian clothing responded immediately, and they could also be seen in the video.
“As soon as they arrived, their immediate action was to disperse bystanders and ensure that no one else was injured.
“While several officers from the Raiwaqa Police Barracks were trying to quell the situation, another team was pursuing the suspects who fled in another vehicle which was later found abandoned near Mead Road where two suspects were arrested.”
Brig-Gen Qiliho said the nature of policing at that time was not solely focused on the arrest of the perpetrators but on ensuring the safety of the many innocent bystanders as well.
He said it was easy for people to criticise police efforts and not appreciate that in certain situations, responses on the ground would determine the immediate actions to be adopted by responding officers.
