Crimes against children remain a pressing issue for the Fiji Police Force, with an eight percent rise in reported incidents noted last month. Acting Commissioner of Police, ACP Sakeo Raikaci, disclosed that the total crime rate surged by 28 percent in September compared to the same month last year.
According to ACP Raikaci, there were 117 reported cases involving children, with 90 victims being girls and 27 boys. Of these cases, 66 percent were classified as sexual offences, while 29 percent were related to assaults, and the remaining 5 percent fell under other categories.
The Western and Central divisions saw decreases in these crimes, reporting reductions of 47 percent and 29 percent, respectively. However, other divisions experienced increases. ACP Raikaci noted that 15 percent of the cases were domestic-related, involving issues within parent-child relationships, and other familial ties such as uncle-niece and nephew relationships.
He attributed the rise in crimes against children mainly to the increase in assault-causing actual bodily harm incidents, which rose from 18 to 26 cases.