Transcript
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: The Prime Minister was telling Parliament the reason is because of the latest mess, if you like, in the Ministry of Police.
DON WISEMAN: By which he means the large number of charges that have been brought against the police commissioner.
ATA: Well he didn't talk specifically about the case of the suspended police commissioner [Fuiavailili Egon Keil], but what is happening in the Ministry of Police, the division between the senior members of the police and the junior ranks.
DW: Making these changes, what will it mean? How will this change the makeup of the Ministry?
ATA: Well I think currently under the Police Service Act 2009 it looks like Cabinet does not have the direct power to terminate the police commissioner or any of the assistant commissioners. Now it looks like, in the amendment, if Parliament is going to endorse it it will give Cabinet the power to make the decision and then advise the Head of State.
DW: What is the mood around the country to the government having a lot more direct control over who is in charge of the police and other positions?
ATA: There are a lot of mixed feelings among members of the public that I talk to. Especially some of the ex-police officers were saying well politics is now too much involved these days in the running of the Ministry of Police. We can't help they said because now the position of the police commissioner is politically appointed as well as the positions for assistant commissioners. So all the directives for those positions in the ministry come from the Cabinet.
DW: In the past if there was an issue it would have been settled by a commission of inquiry but the Prime Minister who is also the Police Minister says that sort of thing takes far too long.
ATA: Yes. Take for example. There were two commissions of inquiry for the former police commissioners. One of the commissioners, in that first commission of inquiry, was recommended to face criminal charges. However the last say comes from the Cabinet, or that's what the Prime Minister always said - 'whatever recommendation comes from a commission of inquiry the last word comes from the Cabinet. But at the end of that recommendation the police did not file any criminal charges but that former police commissioner had his three-term end and he was asked not to re-apply. The other police commissioner, the recent one, he was also facing a commission of inquiry but it was also recommended for his service to be terminated and that is what Cabinet did - they upheld the recommendation from the commission of inquiry, and that police commissioner was terminated. And now the current police commissioner is suspended, facing criminal charges and Cabinet came up some weeks ago saying that there will be a commission of inquiry. now these new amendments going to Parliament and the Prime Minister saying, well, commission of inquiry takes too long. If this amendment is passed it will give Cabinet immediate action to terminate or suspend the police commissioner.