A VETERAN lawyer has urged lawmakers to ensure the long-awaited reform of the Police Act 1965 strengthens rather than weakens the independence of the Fiji Police Force.
With more than 28 years of legal experience, Fiji National University’s Assistant Professor of Law Ana Rokomokoti said the proposed changes must draw a clear line between policing, politics and private interests.
“Perceived bias is bias,” Ms Rokomokoti warned in her contribution to the reform of the Act.
“All care and caution must be taken to ensure the independence of the office of the commissioner.”
She said the commissioner’s command and control “must always be vested in the Commissioner and never at any time be politicised”.
Ms Rokomokoti cautioned against undue influence “whether these influences come through the guise of business sponsorship, political and diplomatic channels, intelligence and security links, economic or material dependence, cultural and ideological influence, corruption and personal ties”.
She argued that embedding the force’s top hierarchy in law would improve accountability and prevent politically-motivated restructuring.
She also called for minimum experience and qualifications, including a master’s degree in policing or relevant areas for senior officers, but warned against restricting the talent pool too tightly.
On policing powers, Ms Rokomokoti urged lawmakers to reject clauses that would disqualify recruits for refusing to provide biometric or DNA samples, calling such provisions “coercion disguised as consent” and a breach of privacy rights.
She said the police should continue to operate unarmed except for ceremonial purposes but acknowledged the rise of drug cartels and online crime required stronger non-lethal tools, digital forensics and oversight powers.
Ms Rokomokoti’s submissions come as the Government consults on a draft Police Bill to rebuild public trust and clarify the force’s role amid growing security challenges.
