FIFTY-SEVEN per cent of police vehicle accidents recorded from January 1 to May 31, 2018 were caused by the negligent actions of the drivers or in some cases, their immediate supervisors.
This was highlighted by the Commissioner of Police Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho during the handing over of police vehicles to the divisional directors in Nasinu yesterday.
Brig-Gen Qiliho said speeding was one of the contributing factors to accidents by police vehicles.
“Speeding and driver negligence are the main contributing factors to police accidents, while unauthorised runs or vehicles leaving districts or stations are others to name a few,” Brig-Gen Qiliho said.
The Commissioner of Police handed over 106 vehicles to the directors of the four divisions, out of which 45 vehicles were modernised for specialised units.
“This is the first time that we will have a high number of these specialised vehicles in operation at any given time, so its imperative that your operations are targeted and unpredictable because drivers will try all avenues to beat us,” he said.
He acknowledged the Chinese and the Fijian governments for their support.
“We must thank the Chinese Government for the fifty or so vehicles we have and also the Government of Fiji for the lease vehicles — another fifty or so vehicles that we have today (yesterday),” he said.
“I also wish to acknowledge and commend the professional work carried out by P.A Lal Company in the modification of the specialised vehicles, which has showcased the expertise and capabilities of what Fijian industries have to offer.”
