28 Aug 2003

Fiji police commissioner calls on top criminals to give themselves up

10:28 am on 28 August 2003

Fiji's police commissioner, Andrew Hughes, has named the top ten criminals in the country and urged them to give themselves up to him personally.

In a move unprecedented in Fiji, Mr Hughes appeared on local television last night and assured the criminals that if they surrendered themselves to him personally, they would be treated fairly and according to the laws of the country and its constitution.

The criminals named have been cited for their involvement in bank and other violent robberies using guns and other dangerous weapons.

Mr Hughes says police know who they are and they will be caught.

The commissioner says since the launch of OPERATION STRIKE BACK against violent robberies two weeks ago, such crimes have dropped by 12 percent.

In the last ten days, police have foiled two violent robberies just before they could take place after they were tipped off by members of the public.