9 Jul 2008

Australia prepared to offer assistance to Fiji police

10:16 am on 9 July 2008

The Australian High Commission says it will support any request from Fiji police to assist them with investigations into death threats against High Commissioner James Batley.

The Fijilive website quotes a High Commission spokesperson as saying officials are ready to assist if the police request it.

Earlier, Fiji police spokeswoman, Ema Mua, said Police Commissioner, Commodore Esala Teleni, had said that local law enforcement officials lacked technical equipment to conduct investigations.

Mua said officers could not lift fingerprints from the first two letters that warned of the threats.

A month ago Mua claimed that the Criminal Investigations Department was close to rounding up the case and police had identified a group of youths as the prime suspects.

Fiji authorities have turned down a request by the High Commission to have the Australian Federal Police provide security at the embassy.