IT was good to see police officers out in full force in the Capital City on Friday night.
People were out and about.
Suva City obviously welcomed the pumped up security.
There was a sense of safety in the air.
The rain and cold conditions didn’t deter people from trying to have a good time at the many nightspots around the city.
The presence of police officers and vehicles was comforting for the masses even though pickpockets appeared to be doing brisk business as hundreds of people crowded the streets.
It does become difficult for police officers to be pulling up people loitering for the purpose of picking pockets anyway.
The onus then shifts to people to be alert in the city.
We can only hope our city rids itself of this scourge as well.
We must unite to fight pickpockets in the city of Suva.
Some operate in gangs, identifying vulnerable people, following them and picking their pockets of whatever they can get their hands on including mobile phones.
They will then switch off the phones, leaving the owners angry and frustrated, and helpless. Let us be alert and prepared.
The heavy police presence came in the wake of muggings captured on CCTV camera last month.
Pedestrians were mugged by groups of thugs on Victoria Pde in Suva.
The thugs showed no mercy. They were ruthless and confident.
There was no sign of fear as pedestrians continued to walk past them, some oblivious to what was happening anyway.
Our city does not need this.
It is bound to have an impact on tourism, investor confidence and undoubtedly would have had a negative impact on businesses along Victoria Pde.
They too have a right to operate without fear and people have a right to visit them without fear.
Thugs who dare to put law abiding citizens under pressure, in fear for their safety must be taken off our streets.
While it was good to see the heavy police presence at the weekend, questions are being raised now.
We hope this will be a common feature once more on our streets, where police officers return to the beat.
But where were they?
Their presence alone should serve as deterrants for criminal elements.
But lest we forget, emphasis must also be focused on factors that contribute to such events in the first place.
Otherwise we will just be kicking these thugs off our streets to different forms of criminal acts in other places.
We have a challenge to understand attributing factors.
We have a duty to embrace change, and also a responsibility and sense of care to assist people who are facing issues they cannot get themselves out of.
Thugs, however, must be appropriately dealt with strongly and the police must be proactive and consistently attentive to trends in criminal activity in our city.
They have a duty and responsibility to ensure we all feel safe in our own city.
