Crimes against children and women continue to be a concern for the Fiji Police Force after statistics revealed an increase in reported cases last month.
According to Police statistics, there was a 25 percent increase in crime against children and a 4 percent increase in crimes against women.
Police say the overall crime rate last month recorded an increase of 8 percent compared to the same period last year.
Acting Commissioner of Police, Sakeo Raikaci, says crimes against Children recorded 138 cases, where 93 were girls and 45 were boys.
He says of the recorded cases, 54 percent were sexual offences, 33 percent were assault-related, and 13 percent were linked to other offences.
Raikaci says 22 percent were domestic-related, involving cousins, parent-child relationships and other relatives.
He adds the increase in the crimes against children was mainly due to the rise in assault cases from 23 to 35 cases, followed by abduction of persons under 18 from 5 to 22 cases, and sexual assaults from 7 to 20 cases.
Speaking on the statistics on crime against women, the Assistant Commissioner says they recorded 184 cases, where 88 percent were assault-related, and 12 percent were sexual offences.
He says assault causing actual bodily harm contributed to an increase in crimes against women by recording 129 cases when compared to the same period last year.
ACP Driu says 41 percent of the 184 cases were domestic-related, where the perpetrator was a spouse or in a defacto partner relationship.
