I will be the first to show you the door if you abuse your authority – Commissioner Qiliho

Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho has stressed to more than 30 senior Police Officers that at times they are guilty of being too complacent in the execution of their duties and when they let their guard down, that is when they find themselves in a regrettable situation.

However, Qiliho has stated that there are just a handful of officers who have been caught in the vicious cycle of being too complacent and are disregarding the rules that govern their work.

While opening the Workshop on Law Enforcement Standards for Police Officers in Suva today, Qiliho highlighted the negative effect of being complacent that has at times led to the institution being branded as unprofessional and in some scenarios a brutal force.

The Police Commissioner has also told his officers that they are also in a time where technology has the ability to either make or break them.

He says from the way they answer the phones, to the way they speak to a complainant, and the execution of an arrest can now be recorded or captured with the use of smart phones.

Qiliho says the reality is that there should not be any alteration of the way things are done and if it’s not in the Force Standing Orders or a written directive, then it has no place in their work.

The three day workshop is being facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and it involves 30 station officers and officers in charge from Fiji and one officer from Vanuatu.