Fiji
| Author | George Kurian |
| Pages | 384-385 |
Page 384
Official country name: Republic of the Fiji Islands
Capital: Suva
Geographic description: An island group in the South Pacific Ocean
Population: 893,354 (est. 2005)
The Fijian Police Force is a British creation. At the time of independence, it had a strength of 752 uniformed members. A supplementary force of 600 constables, paid on an hourly basis, augmented the regular force when necessary. There was also a small contingent of uniformed guards at Nadi International Airport near Suva. The structure of the police establishment was retained after independence with few changes.
Under the supervision of the prime minister, the Fijian Police Force is commanded by the commissioner of police with his headquarters at Suva. The control post is organized as a typical command and staff facility containing the office of the commissioner and his deputy, the Special Branch, the Criminal Investigation Division, the Immigration Branch, the Training Department, the Police School, and the band. Below headquarters level, there are four major police districts, whose boundaries correspond to the territorial ones. These police districts are further subdivided into a variable number of provinces depending on the size of the population. Each province consists of a number of stations and posts. Indians are well represented in the police force.
The functions of the former Fiji Intelligence Service were absorbed by the Police Special Branch in 2000.
Recruitment is open to all Fijians. Applicants must be between eighteen and twenty-seven years of age, be at least five feet seven inches tall, be physically fit, and have completed grade school. Men are given six months basic training at Nases, from which they graduate as constables. Nases also provides general training for all grades and ranks as well as a special leadership course for junior ranks.
Fijian and Indian members of the police force wear different uniforms. Ethnic Fijian wear blue shorts, white sulus or sarongs, red cummerbunds, black belts, and sandals. They do not wear headgear of any kind. Indian constables wear blue caps fitted with a badge, blue...
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