THE paramount role of police is to protect the people of this country and not cosy up to Government, says former assistant commissioner of police Ratu Meli Vakarewakobau.
He made the comment amid claims of slow police investigations into the alleged interrogation of a 16-year-old boy by two men who claimed to be military officers on September 23.
“From my personal view, the police have been militarised and it is no longer the police force,” he said, speaking to this newspaper from his home in Bau, Tailevu.
“Government may be financing them but they are supposed to be protecting members of the public.
“When a military officer was appointed to take up the role of Commissioner of Police, it really changed the ethos of the Fiji Police Force and I am hurt because I was ACP for 11 years before I retired.”
Ratu Meli said police lacked the Salus Populi (Latin) spirit, meaning “the police are supposed to be for the people”.
Ratu Meli said he had made requests to meet senior police officers over the past few years but to no avail.
He said he was critical of views expressed by the Police Commissioner on powers of police and army relating to the boy’s alleged detention and interrogation.
“During our time, a citizen’s arrest only happens if there is an emergency. The police powers can be given to the army. 3
“I can’t understand why the military started jumping when someone wrote something negative about the PM. That is not their role, it is the role of police.”
The teenage boy was allegedly interrogated in relation to a social media post showing a picture of vulgar words directed at the PM written on the back of a public transport vehicle.
Ratu Meli joined the Fiji Police Force in 1961 and retired in 1987 after serving as ACP for 11 years — a few weeks before then Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka staged Fiji’s first coup.
Before this, he taught at Ratu Kadavulevu School after completing five years of study at Otago University, New Zealand.
During his time, he also held the position of deputy commissioner of police on temporary basis. Ratu Meli was the first Fijian to undergo training at the Police Staff College, Bramshill, United Kingdom.
Questions sent to police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro on Ratu Meli’s comments remain unanswered.
