POLICE officers in the Northern Division have been urged to know their environment well in an effort to control the increasing rate of criminal activities in the fourth quarter of this year.
More training will be held to strengthen community partnership and improve on honesty and transparency within the force. Acting divisional police commander northern Senior Superintendent of Police Fulori Rainibogi made the statement at the Northern police officers' third quarter parade in Labasa on Friday.
"Our focus for the fourth quarter operation is to disturb, disrupt and destroy crime and we need to know the environment we work in very well because it will help us reduce serious crime, especially crime against children and women," she said.
"Look after yourselves well because your families can't afford to lose you, so as the organisation given the experience and knowledge you have.
"Continue with the wellness program with your family because wellness at home is wellness at work."
SSP Rainibogi said officers needed to organise themselves in order to keep the public at peace and to reassure them that they would work with integrity, common sense and safe judgement.
"We have a major role in helping government realise its intent of providing a safe and secure environment conducive to the successful achievement of its plan for 2014," she said.
"Let's do our part in fighting the battle on the frontline and as long as we do that right, there will be peace and the public will feel safe as we have assured the Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Ioane Naivalurua that we will achieve our target by the end of this quarter." With new challenges coming their way in terms of technologies that contributed to the rise in crime recorded at the beginning of the month, SSP Rainibogi reminded the officers that the community expected more of them.
"We need to stand wholeheartedly and watch carefully so we may know our purpose, why we are called, where we are going and where we want to be," she said.