There has been a 683% increase in the number of juvenile offenders since COVID-19 related restrictions came into effect in March.
Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho says 627 juveniles were arrested between 19th March to 31st May this year when compared to only 80 arrests in the same period last year.
A juvenile is a person who has not attained the age of 17 years.
Qiliho says about 520 of them were arrested for breaching COVID-19 related restrictions such as loitering around during the curfew and playing sports.
He says 395 juveniles were arrested in April alone this year.
The Police Commissioner says these are not normal times and everyone must work together to avoid this kind of issues.
