Members of the Crime prevention committees from the various districts in the Southern and Eastern Division, business houses, Senior officers of the Fiji Police Force, ladies and gentlemen.
Ni Sa bula vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
I welcome and thank you for joining us in this symposium today. This symposium reasserts our belief, reaffirms our spirit and maps the way forward to fight crime in our respective neighborhoods. The Police are no longer fighting crime alone but instead collaborating with the local communities with a renewed sense of confidence and trust. 

We all share our vision for a secure and safe Fiji. Safe homes for our families, especially the weak and vulnerable, secure investments and assets and a haven where our people can live, rest and enjoy their lives in peace without the threat of harm.

Crime has significant personal, social and economic impacts on our communities. It has torn the social fabric of society instilling fear and distrust. Even in our own homes, the trust and respect family members no longer remains as those in positions of trust exploit the vulnerable to satisfy their evil mental state. 

The world is changing drastically through globalization and liberalization. The new inter-connected world has aided the evolution of criminal activities into new forms such as trans-border crimes, human trafficking, cyber-attacks and so on. Technology has revolutionized our societies and has changed the way we think and live. Whilst internet enhances our service delivery to the public and has many other benefits including a more dynamic environment for education, it also exposes our vulnerable citizens to greater risks. 

Having lived in the Southern Division for many years, I am gravely concerned about some of the crime statistics and patterns we are observing. I will highlight a few positive and a few negative statistics for the Southern division so that you take note and think about your duties and how you can improve your performance to eradicate these numbers without forgetting that these statistics are about real people real families affected by criminal activities.

In 2016 and 2017 we have noted a significant decrease in crimes against public morality but a significant increase in crimes against the person including double the number of cases of serious assault, common assault and criminal intimidation over the past 5 years.

Whilst I commend the Fiji Police Force on their efforts to contain other offences against the Crimes Act including forgery, computer and drug offences, Crimes against the property have continued to claim nearly two thirds of all the crimes being reported for several years in a row. Aggravated robbery, fraud, burglary, theft, and damaging property – the numbers are staggering – every year – persistently – easily over half the crimes being reported relate to crimes against the property.

The purpose of this symposium is for us to discuss critically by sharing with us your views on the proposed platform of the National Crime Board which I intend to introduce today. The concept compliments the Duavata Community Policing at the strategic level. 

The composition would be comprising of all sectors of communities such as civil societies, NGOs, faith based organisations, Municipal councils, private and public sectors representatives and others. The Board reports directly to the Minister and advices on policies, strategies and concepts for mitigating and curbing crime. The Minister of Defence and National Security will then present your collective thoughts on resolving crime to the Government. The concept is proactive and inclusive in nature. It promotes partnerships, information sharing, education, communication, awareness and advocacy. Additionally, it consolidates knowledge, resources and skills to improve our fight against crime. This is important because we recognize the power in harnessing “people as the Police and the Police as the People.”

Today, you will hear other latest trends and crime statistics and more about the DUAVATA Community policing which are integral components of the National Crime Board.

In your deliberations we hope, you will consider the terms of reference of the National Crime Board and provide guidance to the Ministry of Defence and National Security on the way forward to engage every Fijian in our efforts towards safer communities for our families.

Perpetrators of crime are driven for many reasons but the people and the police can be even more driven to stop those perpetrators from committing the crimes in the first place. We must exhaust all avenues, resources and use the best tools available to us, our confidence in each other to fight crime.

The recent budget announcement further empowers crime fighters by providing them the necessary modern day tools and reforming the police force organizational structure to meet the demands of our citizens.

I am humbled by your commitments to crime prevention in Fiji. I urge us all to look deep within ourselves and where possible, at home, in church and other places of worship, in meetings - wherever it may be – we need to discuss and reintroduce the importance of respect, love, goodwill and care for one another, because Fiji needs a society that feels safe and secure.

In 1829, Sir Robert Peel founded the London Metropolitan Police Force and we have chosen his famous quote - “the police are the people and the people are the police”. This quote encapsulates our intent and purpose for this gathering.

With this, I wish you all the best in your deliberations and pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless us all.

Vinaka vakalevu & Thank you.