FIJI Labour Party leader and former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry has condemned the attack on police officers but has also called for a commission of inquiry to look into all aspects of the operations of the force in light of the recent Navua brutality case.
The victim claimed he was arrested from his home in Navua and during the questioning process, hot water was allegedly poured on his back resulting in severe burns.
Mr Chaudhry said the commission of inquiry should begin from law enforcement to the issue of leadership and professionalism in the organisation.
“It cannot be denied that police officers have incurred public resentment by the brute treatment they have meted out to offenders in their custody,” he said.
“Such cases are reported frequently in the media but hardly any action is taken to deter such malpractices,” he claimed.
“A case in point is the report in The Fiji Times of police officers pouring hot water on a person being interviewed.
“This could be another reason why offenders are losing respect for police officers and striking back in retaliation.”
He said the issue all boiled down to the question of leadership at the national level as well as in the police force.
