British High Commissioner Ms Melanie Hopkins

Assistant Police Commissioner Itendra Nair

Director of the Office of Public Prosecutions Mr Christopher Pryde

Mr Philip Stokoe

Other distinguished guests

Representatives of the media corps

Colleagues and friends:

A very good afternoon to you all!

Thank you for inviting me to this launch of the Fiji Police Force curricula on early access to justice and interviewing of vulnerable witnesses.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate all involved in the various consultations and workshops that have taken place over the past two weeks – including weekends! – your determination and work ethic is indeed admirable. I have had an opportunity to review the manuals on my way in and it is clear that the multi-stakeholder approach has paid off in developing holistic materials that place people at the centre of investigations and seek to uphold human rights for all Fijians.

The Fiji justice stakeholders, namely the Judiciary, the Fiji Police Force, the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, the Legal Aid Commission, and the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to implement the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment since its ratification in 2016.

The development and implementation of the ‘Pilot of the First-Hour Procedure and Video-Recorded Interviews’ over the past three years by the justice stakeholders is an example of such commitment. In carrying out their independent roles, the institutions delivered this initiative, which benefits Fijians by ensuring the protection of their Constitutional rights, the rights of police officers, and by enhancing the efficiency of the justice system overall.

Today marks a significant moment in that journey – where the initiatives under the Pilot project are formalised and embedded into the Academy curricula at the recruit, investigator and supervisor levels. The inclusion of the materials at the various levels of the formal courses ensures the sustainability of the justice stakeholders’ efforts.

The sessions undertaken over the past two weeks, which included a consultation with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on their Police Prosecutors handbook and course material, were supported by the British High Commission in Suva and UNDP.

This rewarding partnership with the British High Commission over the past number of years has revealed the need to place victims at the centre of investigations, reduce revictimization and retraumatisation.

Building on knowledge gained through a study tour to the UK and training delivered by the UK College of Policing, both supported by the British High Commission, together with consultations undertaken with Medical Services Pacific and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the curriculum on interviewing vulnerable witnesses has been developed and finalised by the Fiji Police.

Just last Tuesday, I read that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has established a Victim and Witness Assistance Unit within its Sexual Crimes Division. In addition, I note that the ODPP Guidelines on Prosecuting Child Sexual Abuse Cases, which were also issued this week, are annexed to the resource manuals being launched today.

I congratulate the Fiji Police and the ODPP for such a strong demonstration of commitment to address child sexual assault and reduce retraumatisation through these initiatives and collaboration. I wish you success in the implementation of these initiatives, which will serve to benefit survivors of sexual crimes and, in particular, children.  

UNDP acknowledges the valuable partnerships created under the UNDP Pacific Security Sector Governance Project. Working towards one common goal, the justice stakeholder collaboration is truly commendable, and we are confident that further milestones will be reached by the Fiji justice stakeholders in the future.

I would like to extend our gratitude to the British High Commission in Suva for the support to the Fiji Police Force and for collaborating on such worthy initiatives with UNDP.

I would like to thank Mr. Phil Stokoe for his tremendous effort in the development of these curricula. I understand that it is Mr. Stokoe’s second time to visit Fiji and I am most grateful for the support from the British High Commission in facilitating your presence over the last number of weeks. Your contribution, from all accounts, has been hugely beneficial. Thank you.

I would also like to extend my thanks to the European Union for the continuous support to the Judicial Department, Legal Aid Commission and Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, through the Fiji Access to Justice Project.

To conclude, I wish to congratulate the Fiji Police Force and, in particular, the Director Training and his team here at the Academy, for your initiative, drive and determination, which will serve to benefit your students and all Fijians in the future.

Thank you for your attention.