The government is exploring the establishment of a national emergency center to streamline complaints and improve accountability, Minister for Policing Iowane Naivaurua told Parliament this morning.
The announcement came after Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma called for an independent body to oversee complaints against police officers.
“But in a bid to strengthen accountability, can the minister look into or consider the establishment of the independent body with territory powers to oversee complaints made against police officers and all sorts of complaints made against police officers that are independent,” Sharma said.
Minister Naivaurua responded that while the Police Department’s Internal Affairs unit currently handles complaints, the government is considering ways to enhance transparency and efficiency.
“Perhaps, in the future, we could be looking into a national emergency center, an operation center that can receive all calls. This is something that we’ve been talking about,” he said, adding that it could cover complaints not only against police but other organizations as well.
