FIJI could have more than 40 to 50 unresolved murder cases, highlighting the growing security challenges facing the country, says former Attorney-General and Siromi Turaga.
Speaking in support of the newly passed Fiji Police Bill 2026 in Parliament, he said Fiji was no longer the safe haven it once was, and that police needed stronger investigative powers and clearer legal provisions to tackle modern crime.
He said the new legislation was necessary to help officers perform their duties effectively.
“We have unresolved murders – how are we going to solve this issue?” he asked.
“We are at the crossroads. People have been attacked in their homes, phones have been hacked, people coming in planes to steal from the machines, and dead on the streets, unresolved murders.
“If I have a good recollection, that the number probably stands at more than 40 or 50.
“We criticise the police so much yet we do not give them the tools.
“We are no longer the safe haven that we used to be.”
He also highlighted clauses which establish clearer procedures for managing crime scenes and referred to a case in August of 2003 in Wailada, Lami, where an employee of an investor was shot.
“Until today, that matter has not been resolved. Police came in, cordoned the area, stopped all the businesses that were operating in that area, they left.
“One year after, the key to the offices were never returned. As a result, a sum of $163,000 was paid to this investor.
“Why? Because there was no clear process or procedure for the police to follow as what happens in a crime scene.”
Mr Turaga further supported provisions governing access to digital devices, noting that unclear procedures in previous cases had contributed to difficulties in securing admissible evidence.
“There have been cases where the accused persons are acquitted because the police obtained a search warrant for the phone, but no search warrant for the information in the phone. Under this Bill, the search warrant covers for both.
