Concerns over crimes against children persist for the Fiji Police Force, as the latest data reveals an eight percent rise in reported incidents last month. Acting Commissioner of Police, ACP Sakeo Raikaci, noted that the overall crime rate saw a significant increase of 28 percent in September compared to the same month last year.
In total, 117 cases of crimes against children were reported, with girls being the victims in 90 instances and boys in 27. The breakdown of these cases indicates that 66 percent were classified as sexual offences, 29 percent related to assaults, and 5 percent involved other types of crimes.
While the Western and Central divisions experienced declines of 47 percent and 29 percent, respectively, other divisions reported increases in such crimes. Additionally, ACP Raikaci highlighted that 15 percent of the cases were domestic in nature, primarily involving parent-child relationships and extended family members.
The Acting Commissioner attributed the rise in crimes against children to a notable increase in assault-causing actual bodily harm cases, which jumped from 18 to 26.