THE proposed Police Bill 2026 places community policing at the heart of Fiji’s future law enforcement strategy, creating a structured network linking police divisions, stations, posts, community committees and local organisations.
The legislation, tabled in Parliament last week, establishes a comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening partnerships between police and communities to improve public safety and crime prevention.
Under the Bill, the Police Commissioner will be empowered to designate divisional policing areas, establish police stations and community police posts, and oversee the implementation of community policing policies throughout the country.
Divisional police commanders will be required to support and coordinate community policing initiatives across police stations within their jurisdictions and prepare regular reports assessing their effectiveness.
At the station level, officers in charge will be responsible for coordinating community policing activities between police posts and ensuring officers maintain continuous engagement with community policing committees, community support groups and faith-based and cultural institutions.
The proposed law also requires police stations to act as communication and reporting links between local communities and divisional command.
Community police posts will play an even more direct role on the ground.
Officers in charge of police posts will be required to work closely with community policing committees, advocacy groups, religious organisations and cultural institutions. They will also be responsible for facilitating community training programs and serving as focal points for information sharing and reporting.
One of the key features of the Bill is the formal establishment of community policing committees.
Police officers attached to community posts will be required to help communities establish these committees, which must consist of elected community representatives.
The committees will be given flexibility to determine their own structure and operating procedures while working alongside police to address local concerns and strengthen public safety.
The Bill states that the Fiji Police Force must actively work with and support community policing committees to achieve the objectives of community policing.
