SUVA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Fiji Police Force aim to have 1,000 qualified motor bike riders by 2020 for safer roads and enhancing community service delivery to the people of the island nation after an increase in accidents recently.
Fijian Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho said on Thursday that they had set out a target of acquiring 130 motorbikes to meet the demands placed on their services, so they could monitor heavy traffic and improve their response time to accidents.
With the purchase of the 130 motorbikes by the government, and the 200 qualified riders in the Fijian police force to date were a positive move, he said, adding that it was indeed a proud moment to witness police officers on their motorbikes and the show would definitely generate a few social media posts and start some interesting conversation both positive and negative.
He thanked the government for meeting their mobility needs, as the police to public ratio meant the ability to attend to reports more efficiently.
Qiliho said that over the past few weeks the Fijian Police Force had recorded a number of serious road accidents and the recent deaths of three people who were unfortunate victims of a motor vehicle accident allegedly at the hands of a driver who was heavily intoxicated with liquor warranted an urgent review of how they were deploying their motorcyclists on Fiji's roads.
The police chief urged officers to get out there and send a strong message that they will come down hard on those breaking road rules in Fiji.