The Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho made a powerful statement yesterday while addressing more than 200 recruits at the Fiji Police Academy in Nasova, Suva Terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand a week ago, he said, had brought the threat of terrorism even closer to our doors.
Emerging threats to the Pacific region, he said, were real and law enforcement agencies needed to look at their security landscape.
The recruits were told that every day new crime trends emerged, placing more expectations on their service delivery.
The horror of the Christchurch massacre on Friday last week, he said, would mean law enforcement agencies in the Pacific region would be reassessing their security landscape.
“As the honourable Prime Minister stated, ‘the horrendous attack can happen anywhere’,” he pointed out.
The attack, he claimed, had also spurred a new level of religious and racial intolerance on popular social media platforms.
He reminded the recruits that these were some of the demands placed on policing and the urgency in addressing emerging threats would mean juggling many things at once.
He reminded the recruits that they were not in the business of giving excuses.
The events that unfolded in Christchurch placed attention on the role of policemen and women.
The important role of the police force in New Zealand was raised on to a very high pedestal by its response to the danger posed by the gunman.
His alleged indiscriminate shooting and killing of innocent people in houses of worship sent shock waves across the world, more so, to countries in our region. We felt the pain, the horror, the sadness, frustration, and uncertainty as close regional neighbours.
In the face of the terrifying scenarios that unfolded, it was reassuring to see the New Zealand police force respond appropriately, effectively clearing and guarding areas of concern close to the shooting zones and apprehending the suspected lone gunman.
It was reassuring to see police men and women make a concerted effort to bring about a semblance of order to Christchurch quickly.
They were at the forefront of the work to bring back order, security, and confidence to the city in the wake of the mass killings.
Brig-Gen Qiliho is right in saying that the demands placed on policing and the urgency in addressing emerging threats would mean juggling many things at once.
As he said, the massacre effectively brought terrorism closer to home.
That is a frightening yet very real prospect.
It places a massive challenge on the shoulders of our men and women in blue.
We can, however, play our part in raising our levels of tolerance and consideration for one another, casting aside imaginary demarcation lines, and embracing multiracialism and love for one another.
We can still be the way the world should be.
