South African arrives in Fiji to take up police chief role

Transcript

A former high ranking officer with South Africa's defence and security forces has arrived in Fiji to take up his post as the country's new police commissioner.

Bernadus Groenewald retired in 2010 at the rank of Major-General and was also the commanding officer of the South African police academy.

After Australian Andrew Hughes held the post before the 2006 coup, the force has largely been under the command of a military officer.

Our correspondent in Suva Ricardo Morris told Sally Round few details of the new chief have been released so far.

RICARDO MORRIS: As the officer, he has also been responsible for the security and safety of former presidents of South Africa and he has also spent some time overseeing details of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

SALLY ROUND: This new appointment is it seen as bringing some stability to the force, there has been some change at the top of the leadership in the police force recently hasn't there?

RM: Yes, it hasn't been easy for the police force. At the moment there have been several reshuffles, the acting police commissioner fired one of his senior officers a few weeks ago and there have been some reports of insubordination and you know activities that have really put a strain on the leadership of the police force but hopefully this appointment will bring some stability and I suppose with the fact that Mr Groenewald is a foreigner, a South African, maybe it will bring a new pair of eyes.

SR: What has the relations been like between the regime and the police of late?

RM: Well, I suppose the Fiji police force have had to work with whatever they were given, whatever resources they have had, Ravi Narayan, the acting commissioner until today, has done a good job considering the position he is in so you can't really fault the police. There has been some instances of claims of police brutality and the acting commissioner until today Ravi Narayan has been quite good at highlighting these issues and trying to get the police force in order so I think he has done a good job and the government has recognised that as well.

SR: Of course, the Government has been under fire, regime leader Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama himself, a police complaint brought against him, what is the likelihood that these sort of complaints are going to receive any attention under this new commissioner?

RM: The last we have heard was that the police confirmed that they had received a complaint against Bainimarama but that is as far as we know. There has been nothing else, nothing official, nothing further to indicate that the police [have] actually been investigating the complaints and the allegations any further. I don't think that such a complaint would get...well,  I am not sure but Mr Groenewald has just come in. I doubt it, that he will handle such a political hot potato as a complaint against Mr Bainimarama so I think that is where it will stand for the moment.