THREE men were apprehended yesterday after allegedly bringing marijuana and white substances believed to be methamphetamine into the Nasinu Courthouse premises.
This was confirmed by a reliable source, who said the men were approached by police before they allegedly threw away packages believed to contain the substances.
A video circulating on social media showed police officers pinning down the three men just outside the courthouse.
In the video, one man’s pants appeared to have come off after he was handled by police.
The footage also shows a police officer climbing over a fence, presumably to search for the packages that was thrown away.
This newspaper was also told that the officers conduct in the video was a result of ongoing training known as “Officer Safety Program” to handle “dangerous situations” involving civilians.
The program was introduced last year by the Australian Government and is now also supported by New Zealand.
Police said the tailor-made training provides frontline officers with defensive techniques and safety kits to help them respond to dangerous situations professionally.
The training comes amid intensified joint operations between the Fiji Police Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces against the country’s drug crisis.
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu addressed concerns that police were targeting “small fish” in the drug trade rather than those behind wider networks.
He said investigations into large-scale drug activity took time because police first had to understand and untangle the networks involved.
“You have to understand the network and how we untangle networks,” Mr Tudravu said.
He said police had acted on several names raised publicly, including on social media, and cases had been brought against those individuals.
Mr Tudravu said if members of the public had information about alleged “kingpins” or others involved in the drug trade, they should provide that information to police.
He said police were continuing their work and he was satisfied with the progress so far.
The three men are now in custody at the Valelevu Police Station.
