FIJI is spending more than $200,000 to calibrate police breathalyser equipment in Australia because the country has no accredited domestic facility to carry out the work, Parliament heard yesterday.
Minister for Policing and Communications Ioane Naivalurua told Parliament that Fiji currently lacked the technical capability to calibrate evidential breathalyser instruments locally.
In response to Opposition MP Premila Kumar’s question on Fiji’s domestic calibration capacity, Mr Naivalurua said police equipment was calibrated every 12 months through specialist calibration provider Drager in Melbourne, Australia, at a cost of “roughly over $F200,000”.
The revelation came after Mrs Kumar raised concerns over a case brought to her attention in which police allegedly could not conduct a breathalyser test on a driver after a vehicle hit a gate because the machines had been sent overseas for calibration.
She questioned whether expired or improperly calibrated equipment could affect the validity of drink-driving prosecutions.
Mr Naivalurua said the matter was an “ongoing operational matter” and he would raise it with the Commissioner of Police.
Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya also questioned the frequency of testing, citing overseas practices of 90 or 180 days.
Mr Naivalurua acknowledged there had been situations where operational timelines and checks were not followed.
“I have come across a few situations where, perhaps for operational reasons, we failed to ensure that the timelines are followed,” he said.
“The onus is really on the Director of Traffic operations to ensure that all equipment are operationally on board to meet front-line operations.”
He said Government was exploring and investing in establishing domestic calibration capability.
