Following concerns raised by the police that young people are being used to transport drugs on the streets, the Minster for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya is calling on people to be more vigilant in terms of where their children are and what they are doing.
Tabuya says the Ministry has not received any official complaint about a child being used as a drug peddler but is calling on the public to report to the police.
She says the culpability or criminal responsibility of a child is 10 years old and they can be charged with a crime so if they are under the age of 10 and are being used, then she hopes the police would inform the Ministry as that would be a child that is at risk and believe that adults are using them for their own means.
Tabuya says that is where they can assess the state of that child and bring them into the care of the Ministry.
She says the Ministry is completely dependent on the police and the information they provide and if the police have information or if they have children that have been charged with the crime of drug peddling, then they come to the juvenile centre where the Ministry will then provide training and counselling through Inspire Pacific and their staff try to rehabilitate them in the centres.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations, Livai Driu had earlier said that it may be alarming, but it’s a sad reality when our young people who we always thought to be loitering around the city area aimlessly, are actually being used to transport drugs from one point to another.
He had said police operations on the ground continue to stop and search young people roaming around unnecessarily, and a handful have been found with dried leaves believed to be marijuana, hard drugs and drug apparatus.
ACP Driu is calling on all parents to monitor their children and keep them occupied and spend more time at home with them.
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