FIJI TIMES : Tuesday, August 05, 2008
THE Fiji Women's Crisis Centre says there has been an increase in police brutality over the past two years.
Centre co-ordinator Shamima Ali made the comment in reaction to the case of escapee Josefa Baleiloa who was recaptured by police and hospitalised.
"As a human rights organisation, we are deeply concerned that actions which almost cost this man his life is not being accorded proper attention by the law enforcement agency," said Ms Ali.
She said there had been a decline in police brutality but over the past few years this attitude seemed to be creeping back into the police force.
"There seems to be a general acceptability of such behaviour by the police themselves and we believe that they have a duty to uphold the law as that is what they have taken an oath to do," she said.
She said it was important that the police conducted swift investigations into the issue and take necessary action.
She said the police seemed to be focusing on irrelevant issues such as finding fault with the media rather than concentrating on the critical issue of investigating the horrific brutality inflicted on Baleiloa.
"We believe that the lack of respect for law and order at a national level only leads to the breeding of this type of violence by our institutions and once we start to justify actions that do not uphold the rule of law, we make way for a whole lot of other criminal activity by the State," she said.
Baleiloa escaped from Naboro Medium Security prison and was recaptured by the Police Strike Back team and prison officers from Cunningham.
He now lies at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital's Intensive Care Unit and his condition is slowly improving.
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