Alarming crime statistics for October – FBC News

Crimes against children increased by 39 percent in October; 90 of the victims were women, 78 were men, and 100 percent of the perpetrators were male family members.

This, according to a press release from the Fiji Police Force, revealed that the overall crime rate increased by six per cent compared to the same period last year.

There was a 39 percent increase in crimes against children, a 17 percent increase in serious crimes, a 0.5 percent increase in crimes against women, and a 13 percent increase in the number of registered illegal drug cases.

Common crimes in October included theft (376), assault causing actual bodily harm (286), burglary and aggravated assault (205), illegal drug possession (176) and criminal intimidation (71).

An alarming 39 per cent increase in crimes against children has been recorded; of these, 64 percent were sexual offences, 28 percent were assault-related and 8 percent were other offences.

It is stated that 13 percent of them are relatives within the family and 100 percent of the perpetrators are male family members. 90 of the victims were girls and 78 were boys.

There was a 0.5 percent increase in crimes against women; 85 percent of these were assaults, 15 percent were sexual crimes, 36 percent were committed within the home, 67 were committed by spouse/de facto/partner relations and 11 were committed by relatives.

Serious crimes increased by 17 percent, sexual crimes by 32 percent, and domestic violence against women and children by 42 percent.

Police said that recorded cases of robberies and aggravated robberies decreased during the reporting period.

It is stated that the increase in the number of registered illegal drug cases is linked to the increase in the Southern, Western and Central Divisions.

Of the 181 cases recorded, 176 were related to possession of illegal drugs and 5 were cases of illegal drug cultivation.

The majority of the cases (160 cases) involved Cannabis, 20 cases related to Methamphetamine and one case related to cocaine.

A total of four police officers were charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, rape and accepting bribes.

Police add that there were 22 incidents of serious assault on police officers during the reporting period.

Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew said with crimes against women and children mostly occurring in domestic settings, the Fiji Police Force will continue its momentum of engaging with stakeholders to address the root causes of these crimes.

The Acting Commissioner says the increase in recorded drug cases reflects the momentum in the fight against drugs, as efforts to disrupt, dismantle and destabilize illicit networks continue with the support of the community.