Ground-breaking ceremony for New Lautoka Remand Centre was done today at the Natabua Corrections facility by the District Officer Nadi Mr Jiuta Waqavonovono.
The new facility will be able to house 96 persons in remand while awaiting the hearing of their cases and will be installed with international standard facilities within the centre.
The Fiji Corrections Services believe the centre which will be completed in 16 weeks would assist also in the safety of those that would be remanded in the centre as currently they share the same facilities with convicted inmates.
Deputy Commissioner for Corrections, Akuila Namakadre says that the rationale of this project is to meet the Convention on the UN Minimum Standard rule in the treatment of offenders in which Fiji is a signatory to it.
“This will also ease reduction in overcrowding in the Lautoka Corrections Centre,” added Mr Namakadre.