MISLEADING: Police denounce Samoa Observer story alleging PM’s sons

Apia, SAMOA – 21 February 2026 – The Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Service (SPPCS) has unequivocally rejected the central allegation of a Samoa Observer newspaper story on Friday 20 February titled: “Cop transferred after warning PM’s sons for reckless driving”.

The story said the Head of the Police Traffic Unit was transferred after he warned the Prime Ministers sons for reckless driving of a police vehicle assigned to the PMs security team.

However, a SPPCS statement rejected the article and stated firmly that no such incident occurred.

“The allegation is entirely unfounded and unsupported by any official report, complaint or internal record,” said a SPPCS statement.

“SPPCS strongly denounces misleading reporting. Publishing unverified claims without confirmation from the Service undermines public trust and disrupts the peace and harmony of the country.”

The statement explained that the recent transfer of Unit Leaders resulted from an internal organisational review led by the Acting Commissioner and Executive Management.

Following this comprehensive assessment, a reshuffle was implemented in accordance with operational requirements, service delivery priorities and the overall organisational needs of SPPCS. It is unrelated to the claims made in the article.

The statement went on to say that “there has been no instance in which the Prime Minister’s sons were warned for reckless driving of Police vehicles.

“Police vehicles assigned to the Prime Ministers Security Team are used strictly for official security duties and are operated only by trained and authorized Police officers.

“The Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Service remains committed to professionalism, adherence to established policies and procedures; and ensuring that administrative decisions are made independently in the best interests of effective policing and public safety,” the statement ended.