The Fiji Police Force says it will not be held at ransom by individuals whose only motive is to divide and create a distraction from the joint efforts underway to dismantle criminal networks.

In a statement, it adds that certain individuals continue to make accusations against members of the Fiji Police Force and other officials, which resulted in investigations, and they later fail to cooperate when approached to provide more information.

As a result, police say taxpayers’ money has been wasted on investigations that spanned Fiji and overseas, in the organisation’s effort to ascertain the truth of the claims made.

The Fiji Police Force says it is bound by legal processes and procedures and will not be dictated by social media.

If any individual or any other person has grievances or a complaint against members of the organisation, the police urged that proper channels should be followed and an official report can be lodged. 

Reports received through official channels against police officers have resulted in the conduct of an investigation. The investigation file is then submitted to the  Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for review.

Police officers have been charged and produced in court, reflecting the organisation’s commitment to holding its own members accountable for their actions.

The conduct of an investigation will enable necessary action to be pursued, whether it be criminal or internal.

This has also been reiterated to members of the organisation, in that failure to comply with the code of ethics and internal processes will result in disciplinary processes.

The leakage of internal documents is a serious breach, warranting internal disciplinary action.

Anyone who wishes to lodge an official complaint is urged to follow the proper channels, as the Fiji Police Force will not be redirecting resources to the conduct of investigations based on social media posts, especially by those who refuse to cooperate or fail to provide any evidence of their claims.

The joint efforts will not be derailed by keyboard warriors and will remain focused on disrupting, dismantling and destroying criminal networks.