Transcript
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: This is after the government amended the Police Act where people who had police experience and rank, qualifying, to apply for the position of police commissioner. If I can remember this is the first time the government appointed someone with police experience with that rank that he held in Los Angeles, to be the head of the Ministry of Police.
DON WISEMAN: He was brought in as this person with significant experience. There had been these problems in the force. Has he been at loggerheads since day one with some of the senior officers?
ATA: Yes that is absolutely right, because of the way he administered the Ministry of Police and I can remember after his first couple of weeks as the Police Commissioner, there was word around the town that some police officers had been terminated because of their conduct. And I think at that time i said 'Well this is good" because in past years there were a number of allegations against the police and how there was alleged corruption within the Ministry, involving senior police officers. But at the end I think when Mr Keil was continuing the clean up and trying to straighten up things, and the senior officers were so unhappy. And I think that is why he was very supportive of some of the younger police officers and then it was, sort of, he has his team of young officers going against the team of senior officers.
DW: So how is it all going to come out in the end? What likelihood is there of him being able to go back into those offices and pick up where he left off?
ATA: Well there is a lot of rumour, speculation, but still I can't comment on that because they are still waiting for Cabinet's decision.
DW: How do you think he might fit in though?
ATA: Well as I said yesterday in the interview with the media it is likely that he is going to go back to the Ministry to continue his tenure as the Police Commissioner for his first three years contract, but I think the government needs to carefully look at it, the situation, right now,, to make sure there's no more divisions and no more charges filed against the commissioner.
DW: Egon Keil - he had this vast raft of charges against him, how is his frame of mind? Is he bitter about that?
ATA: I was not in the Court on Monday because I was sitting in the Tribunal on the suspended Director of Prosecutions, but reading newspapers and hearing reports on radio on Monday he was very excited to go back, looking forward to going back to continue his job as Police Commissioner.