SUVA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Police officers in Fiji have been encouraged to use pepper spray if they feel threatened by members of the public to reduce the number of attacks made against them.

Pepper spray has been issued as a means to crackdown on the number of assaults on Fijian police officers said Maritino Qiolevu, police chief of operations, while speaking on Tuesday at an operational readiness check in Vanua Levu, Fiji's second largest island.

Qiolevu said members of the public no longer respected the police uniform on Fiji's streets and therefore it is important that officers are well equipped, alert and vigilant at all times.

He said the capsicum spray would be used to defend policemen as it was not lethal.

Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho had earlier confirmed that batons would slowly be phased out because of the inhumane nature of its use.

The Fiji police force recorded 129 cases this year alone where police officers have been victims of serious assault by members of the public.

The Fiji police force is concerned over the number of attacks their officers are involved in after increasing foot patrols to try and curb an increase in crimes in the towns.

Qiliho said police have held major raids daily and netted millions of dollars of drugs in the island nation and that was why they were disliked.

With the recent incidents of street mugging, pick pocketing and many other petty crimes in Suva, the police had increased foot patrols.