Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua has directed the Fiji Police Force (FPF) to meet a quota of 30 per cent of women and non-iTaukei in its next recruitment cycle.
Last month Mr Tikoduadua delivered a statement expressing his sentiments of improving gender and racial balance in the force.
In an interview last week, he said the same message was reiterated to police again during a meeting on Friday.
“We’re talking about public perception, police visibility,” he said.
“You know, today I told the police and I’ll tell you this now. I want the next recruits, 30 per cent women and 30 per cent non-iTaukei. Okay, we will start with that number. I said 50 (per cent before), but we’ll progressively work through that. You’ve got to make that work.
“If you look at my statement in Nasova, I said these words.
“The people need to see themselves in the group that comes to look after them. The representation of Fiji as a community needs to be witnessed by the police and in the military. And I’m telling them, you guys are too pro-iTaukei.
“That’s why I’m doing this now. And then they’ve got to come back and brief me on how to make it work and how I can support them do that work.”
Mr Tikoduadua stressed that the security forces must mirror the diversity of our nation.
