The heavy emphasis on crimes caused by police officers is a concern.

An officer who raped a colleague two years ago has been jailed for seven years and 10 months.

The victim was a 19-year-old recruit at the time of the incident at the Lautoka police barracks.

In his August 22 ruling, Justice Sunil Sharma emphasised the issue of trust and the consequences of actions taken.

He spoke about lust in this case and spoke about the protection of women.

He also raised the issue of police training, and the image of the force which he pointed out always demanded impeccable and flawless behaviour.

Other cases against police officers have only added to cast a bad image on the force.

This is why we must ask how our men and women in blue are screened in the initial recruitment process.

And whether there needs to be a change in mindset and direction of training.

Then there would be the issue of lessons taught, and values raised during the training process.

Whatever is happening now to some officers, however, should not be considered the norm in the force, for there are good men and women who place great value on their responsibilities.

They place value on the roles and responsibilities of the force which includes: The maintenance of law and order; preservation of peace; protection of life and property; prevention and detection of crime; and enforcement of all laws and regulations with which it is directly charged.

They will strive to uphold its integrity; be fair; be trustworthy and sincere; have empathy; and be efficient.

We realise law enforcement work is filled with its frustrations, and challenges, however, there has to be some sense of appreciation of the importance of police work in our lives.

This why we need to have confidence in the force and that is where good officers come in.

Laws are there to guide us.

They remind us of our rights, and the rights of others.

It is when we breach laws, and others are negatively impacted that the long arm of the law must come into action.

We need police officers who are well trained, who understand the importance of their roles and responsibilities, and are disciplined.

We know there was an eight per cent increase in complaints against service (CAS) and complaints against police (CAP) during the period August 2019-July 2020 compared with the previous fiscal year.

That was mentioned in the Fiji Police Force 2019–2020 annual report that was tabled in Parliament in July this year.

The force has copped criticism over the years.

And they range from brutality to failure to respond quickly to reports.

In February this year, Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua called on law enforcement agencies to stop all forms of violence and brutality against civilians.

His comment came in the wake of a report of an alleged assault by corrections officers against a young man.

He spoke about legacy issues that needed to be fixed.

“Our plan is to make, particularly the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Corrections Service, to understand that their first responsibility is to report to the law and to the law alone, which means they must uphold the law to protect the law,” he said at the time.

Again, we reflect on discipline, in both the members of the security forces, and the public.

Our law enforcement officers must be ready to uphold the laws, and at the same time, keep their emotions in check, not allowing it to dictate their actions.

That demands great discipline and sacrifice.

It demands great respect for the rights of Fijians, and a greater sense of responsibility!

Again, as the force focuses on trying to improve its image, we acknowledge all those men and women who stand up for the law!