Police Disappointed with Reporting

The Fiji Police Force is extremely disappointed with the inaccurate and unprofessional reporting by a media outlet, implicating a police officer in a case of unlawful possession of illicit drugs called at the Suva Magistrates Court today.

Police say the journalist misreported the name of the Police officer who is a witness in the case, and labeled him as the accused.

The Acting Commissioner of Police Aporosa Lutunauga said the post when uploaded on social media went viral, and wrongly implicated the officer who is a serving member of the organisation, affecting his family and the policing institution.

The Acting Commissioner said the Fiji Police Force has, and will always accept responsibility when a member of the organisation fails to uphold the ethics of their oath to service, and​ continues to be transparent when a member of the organisation is charged and produced in court.

He said however, the inaccurate report ​unfairly drew criticism against the organisation and police officer, due​ to the inaccurate report.

“Despite the removal of the article, the damage has already been done and the repercussions are being circulated over social media, and we call on the media organisation to issue an apology to the officer’s family and organisation” said Mr Lutunauga.

While he acknowledged the work done by the media in covering court cases, he said seeking clarification from court clerks and Police prosecutions would assist them in their future court reports.