Sexual offences like defilement, abduction and indecent assault are becoming too common, says Northern Divisional Police Commander (DPC) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Eparama Waqa.

During the launching of the scholastic crime stoppers programme at All Saints Secondary School in Labasa yesterday, SSP Waqa said that from the policing perspective, they had seen a drastic shift in the types of crime often associated with youths or juveniles under the age of 18.

“This shift we believe is due to external influences because no child is brought up in their home where the emphasis is on anything other than education at this point in life,” SSP Waqa said.

“This is why students need to have a safe outlet to share their problems and I must emphasize that the scholastic programme is not just a safe platform to report crime but any issues of concern that you know can lead to more trouble or the harming of an innocent party.”

He told the students during the assembly that he was given a brief overview on some cases of ill-discipline that were common in their school.

“Truancy, bullying and cyber-bullying I have been told are becoming repetitive issues that your teachers have to deal with,” he said.

“We understand that there are a lot of factors that have changed our way of life and the advancements in technology have made the world become a smaller place, and information is being spread at such a rapid pace making you more vulnerable to society’s negative social ills.

“We recognise that the youth of today face a lot of personal challenges because of peer pressure which is a real threat to the positive development of your generation.

“The launch marks a new and long working relationship between your school and the Fiji Police Force. The opportunity to interact directly with today’s young generation is one that we would like to strengthen as we don’t often get the chance to do so.”

All Saints Secondary School headboy Jovesa Buruso said 42 students were inducted into the programme, who would work together to fight crime.

The school caters for 560 students and 45 teachers.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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