Losirene Lacanivalu
The Fijian Police Force and the Government will not condone any Police brutality and offenders will be brought to justice, Defence Minister Inoke Kubuabola has said.
He was responding to a question raised by SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu in Parliament on Friday, March 9, 2018.
Mr Kubuabola said that under the Fiji Police Act Cap 85, the Fiji Police had the powers to arrest, interrogate and detain an individual suspected of committing an offence.
Act of self-defence
However, if faced with strong resistance and violent actions from drunkards, drug paddlers, violent robbers and other such perpetrators, the Fiji Police would resort to reasonable force as a means of self-defence to counter and deflate the situation, he said.
“We should not forget that there are cases whereby Police officers have been brutally assaulted and seriously injured in the exercise of their duties,” Mr Kubuabola said.
He said that there were 118 cases of resisting arrests in 2017 alone.
“There were 18,153 cases (including domestic violence and assault charges) registered last year and only nine cases were classified as ‘Police Brutality,’ which have been registered and are currently in the court system,” Mr Kubuabola said.
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Photo Caption:
Defence Minister Inoke Kubuabola in Parliament on March 9.
(Picture by Ronald Kumar)
