Caption: ACP Rusiate Tudravu.
By ANA NAISORO
The Chief Operations Officer has acknowledged the support shown by the villagers of Wailotua, Wainibuka, Tailevu in helping recapture escapee Josua Naivalu this morning.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rusiate Tudravu says Police received a call that Naivalu was at Wailotua Village and the villagers had apprehended him.
He says the cooperation and support shown by the villagers is truly commendable.
“What the people of Wailotua did today was in the true spirit of the Duavata community policing that we’ve been talking about”.
“Their willingness to take ownership of their safety and not turning a blind eye to the obvious disregard of the law that’s happening before them is something the Fiji Police is truly appreciative of”.
Naivalu has been escorted back to Suva remains in custody while investigations continue as well as the ongoing internal investigation as to how he escaped from Police custody.
“We make no excuses for what led to his escape from our custody and I have relayed the Commissioner of Police’s disappointment to the men on the ground”.
“We can’t afford to be making these mistakes because there’s no other organization that can carry out our duties so the onus is on us to make sure that we don’t let these sort of things happen under our watch”.
While acknowledging the support of the people of Wailotua, he says Police officers have as much of a role to play towards the success of the Duavata initiative.
“It’s a partnership built on trust and what the people of Wailotua displayed today was an example of the trust forged between the community and Police however we have to hold up our end of the bargain and ensure occurrences such as the escape doesn’t take place in the first place”.