Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has ordered urgent action after a health audit at the start of his term revealed a worrying rise in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among police officers, a trend he says threatens the force’s operational readiness. Tudravu told his senior command the findings were “not encouraging” and that immediate measures are being put in place to reverse the trend.
Among the steps announced, Tudravu has mandated stricter quarterly fitness tests and compulsory sports sessions on Wednesdays at every police station. Officers have also been instructed to adopt healthier lifestyles, with leadership urged to set the example. “I’ve been emphasising this morning to the command group the importance of being a healthy workforce, looking after ourselves well and the lifestyle that we have to follow, in order for us to pose ourselves well as we get into trying to have a good, effective and efficient organisation such as the police force,” he said.
Tudravu acknowledged the particular demands and stresses of policing, saying they make a fit and healthy workforce essential to maintaining law and order. The commissioner linked the fitness drive to broader wellbeing planning and ordered medical teams to actively monitor health risks among personnel. Senior officers have already been briefed on the audit’s findings and the new requirements, he added.
The audit—conducted early in Tudravu’s tenure—flagged a “notable increase” in NCD cases, though the commissioner did not release specific figures. NCDs commonly include conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease; across Fiji and the wider Pacific, these illnesses are a leading public health concern and can reduce workforce capacity through increased sick leave and reduced fitness for duty.
Tudravu also drew attention to a rising number of HIV cases in Fiji as part of the broader health challenges affecting the force. He said the police wellbeing strategy will take those trends into account and that medical teams are tasked with ongoing surveillance and risk mitigation within the organisation.
The measures announced represent a more prescriptive approach to officer health than has been publicly outlined before. Moving to stricter, quarterly assessments and station-based, mandatory sport sessions signals an attempt to institutionalise fitness routines rather than rely on voluntary participation. How the measures will be implemented—what standards will be applied in the fitness tests, how non-compliance will be handled, and the timeline for rolling out the new regime—was not detailed by Tudravu.
Police leadership has signalled this will be a priority going forward, with the commissioner saying senior command must lead by example. He insisted work is already underway to address the situation and to improve the force’s overall health profile, suggesting further updates can be expected as the new measures are implemented and monitored by medical teams.
Leave a comment