There were 195 rape cases recorded in 2018 where 123 of these involved children as victims.
This was highlighted by Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho while opening the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Sexual Assault Investigators Training which is facilitated by the representatives of the US Embassy, facilitators from NCIS and Senior Officers.
Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho with NCIS sexual assault Trainees
Qiliho also highlighted that 327 rape cases were recorded in 2016, while in 2017 this figure reduced to 210.
He says within the 48-hour detainment period, understanding the psyche of a sex crime suspect can be quite difficult, especially if one is related to the victim.
He says as their officers do have the investigative knowledge to conduct their work proficiently, there is always room to learn and improve the status quo and he is optimistic this training, will be able to boost their white glove approach in creating awareness about sex crimes.
Qiliho says detection and successful prosecution of sexual offences is undoubtedly a priority for them but they also need to focus on the prevention aspects and try to better understand why the crimes are being committed in the first place.
The Commissioner says he is optimistic that the Fiji Police Force will gain a lot from this N.C.I.S Sexual Assault Investigations Training.
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