Groenewald’s Steve Biko moment

Steve Biko died in the custody of the South African Police in the era of apartheid and police tried to say he died from the effects of a hunger strike.  Is this the kind of police accountability Groenewald wants to introduce to Fiji?

The truth will not be suppressed and all who try to suppress it will pay dearly in the end.  Propaganda can deny the truth but it remains the truth.

Bainimarama has had nearly 8 years to solve the problem of crime with his methods of brutality and all he can do is try to use control of the media to suppress the facts. Crime remains a problem.

The best defense against crime is effective professional policing and police who think beating suspects solves crime are unprofessional thugs who have no place in a an effective professional force.

One Hanif blogged on another blog “Vilikesa Soko deserved  it fully.  Imagine if he entered your house, put a knife on your neck and raped your mother, wife or daughter in front of you?” Hanif needs to imagine what it would be like to be beaten to death for a crime  had not committed.  That’s what happened to the CRW soldiers who had nothing to do with 2000 mutiny and so had nothing to confess – no names to give and so were beaten to death on Bainimarama’s orders. They committed no crime but were beaten in a fury fueled by Bainimarama’s  shame at the way he reacted to the mutiny.  Anyone who thinks this doesn’t matter as long as it’s happening to ‘them’ and not to ‘us’ is making a big mistake. The law protects everyone or it protects no-one.

Groenewald face his first big test

The death of Vilikesa Soko, who was in police custody when he was taken to hospital with internal bleeding, will be the first real test of our new Compol Groenewald.  He’s shown he can wear the uniform and say all the right things.  Now let’s see if he can enforce the law without fear or favour.  Radio Regime claims Groenewald said Soko had refused medical treatment before he died. That’s not the issue. The question is how did he get the injuries?  Will Groenewald just accept whatever BS is served up, as with the torture video?  This death happened on his watch – he has to answer.

Radio Fiji 21 August 2014 Police neither confirm nor denies alleged beating

Minibus horrors shows up fake policing

The horror of another minibus crash which claimed the life of a school teacher highlights the need for real action to make roads safer.  The LTA is boasting about booking 1423 speeding vehicles with cameras, which do nothing to stop reckless overtaking.  Everybody knows the regime uses traffic cameras just to raise money.  The only way to stop the crazy driving of some mini-buses is police car patrols.  Anyone trying from Suva to Nadi will see insane overtaking by mini-buses.  Why can’t the police catch them.  Now a family has lost their sole bread winner for the family while the cash keeps flowing into LTA coffers from cameras.

 

Fiji Sun May 1, 2014 Teacher: I saw my brother dead

http://www.fijisun.com.fj/2014/05/01/teacher-i-saw-my-brother-dead

Neutral police or neutered Commssioner?

Acting Police Commissioner ACP Ravi Narayan told and FPF parade: “If you want to associate yourself with any political party then the Fiji Police is not for you. Our roles and responsibilities for the elections are clearly outlined and we are to remain neutral at all times.” Meanwhile Police under the real Commissioner, Lackey Number One, Tudravu, are doing regime dirty work, harassing unionsists in Nadi. At the same time they’re are most definitely not investigating the brutal beating of prisoners caught on video last year.
Radio Fiji Jan 15, 2014 Be neutral, police officers told
http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/16866/be-neutral,-police-officers-told

Tudravu doing all the talking again

Once again it’s Fiji police chief of operations Rusiate Tudravu whose doing all the talking for the Fiji Police Force. Where is our acting Commissioner? Is he dumb? Has Khaiyum not given him a licence to speak?
Radio Fiji 2 January 2014 Chief of operations acknowledges hard work of staff http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/16563/chief-of-operations-acknowledges-hard-work-of-staff-

Crime keeps on climbing

The streets are just not safe. Apart from what we see in the media, we all know it is really bad, far worse than when Bainimarama seized power and vowed a crack-down. The problem is Bainimarama politicised the FPF and we are all now paying the price. The prisons are full to overflowing, despite new buildings and increased recruitment, but crime keeps growing. In 2006 we had a professional Police Commissioner but now we have an acting Commissioner who cannot command a force that is split with intrigue, gossip and back-stabbing. Naivalurua was undermined from within and stabbed in the back by Khaiyum. To solve the crime problem, first solve the Police problem.

Fiji Times, December 22, 2013 Break-ins, mugging, increase

The joke of budget day arrests

The arrests of 14 women and young people having a meal near the Fiji Revenue Customs Authority building shows how sensitive Bainimarama is to criticism. Bainimarama seized power in the name of transparency but he orders the arrest of people wearing t-shirts calling on the government to make the budget public. Police mouthpiece, Ana Naisoro, claimed the police were within their rights as the group did not have a permit as required under the Public Order Decree but she did not say which part of the Public Order Decree covers wearing t-shirts calling for transparency in Government while having lunch near a Government Building.

Radio New Zealand 12 November, 2013 Arrests over luncheon protest during Fiji’s budget day labelled “juvenile”
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=80528

The FPF mess gets worse

We all know our Police Force has gone downhill fast since the coup in 2006. First Teleni tried to turn the force into a tent revival show. Then Naivalurua tried to lift professional standards but the rot was advanced and made worse by the FPF being forced to follow illegal directives from above such as the stop on investigating the torture video. A serious crime was filmed with faces of perpetrators clear for all to see along with the number plate of one of the vehicles but still no arrests. Now we have Policeman stealing from the scene of a crime and the victim was told if he made a complaint he would not be able to access his property, a computer hard drive he needed for his work as a teacher. Pure BULLSHIT!! A crime is a crime.

Fiji Village: 12/11/2013 Police officer charged for stealing from crime scene
http://www.fijivillage.com/?mod=story&id=111113d3ceea978e1bdab2f21fc101

Are some people above the law?

One of the Special Administrators appointed by the regime to run local government in the Western division was involved in a road accident in Lautoka in which a pedestrian died. We all know these people are the hand-picked choices of Khaiyum (just ask Sam Saumatua) so is this why he is yet to be questioned by police? The driver was reported to be still in hospital and police said they are waiting for the doctor’s clearance before taking him in for questioning. Is this just another example of some people being above the law?

Fiji Village: 11/11/2013 Special Administrator involved in accident yet to be questioned
http://www.fijivillage.com/?mod=story&id=111113aeec6881157451bfc4fd22e8

The Coloi-i-Suva beating: why investigate now?

The media are reporting that the police are still investigating the beating of a man by 6 military personnel. This is not the first time that military personnel have been accused of this kind of behaviour, but it would be a first if they were charged. So why now? Is it because there’s no longer a military man in charge of the police, telling then that they are not to enforce the law on military personnel?

Fiji Village 30/10/2013 6 men in alleged Colo-i-Suva beating being questioned
http://www.fijivillage.com/?mod=story&id=3010139d4c2f58a96bff357421894c