Fiji is facing a national drug crisis that law enforcement alone cannot solve, with the trade threatening the country’s moral, social and spiritual foundations, says Minister for Policing and Communications Ioane Naivalurua.
Opening the National Pastoral Response to Drugs workshop in Suva yesterday, Mr Naivalurua warned that the drug problem had moved beyond crime control and into a deeper crisis destroying families, communities and future generations.
“This is not just a law-and-order issue,” he said.
“It is a social, moral and spiritual crisis and the cost of turning away is measured in human lives.”
The workshop, convened by the Fiji Council of Churches in partnership with the Pacific Conference of Churches and the Ministry of Policing and Communications, brings together church leaders and State agencies in what the minister described as a new national response to drugs.
Mr Naivalurua outlined what he called a “dual-glove strategy”, combining the “black gloves” of law enforcement border interdiction, intelligence gathering, arrests and court convictions with the “white gloves” of pastoral care, prevention, early intervention and community healing.
While policing would continue to play a critical role at the borders and on the streets, he said enforcement alone could not repair the deeper damage drugs were inflicting on families and communities.
“Policing cannot mend the soul of a people.”
