Fiji: 218 cases of missing people

Two hundred and eighteen people under the age of 26 have been reported missing this year.

And police are calling on people to be more vigilant and monitor the movements of their children as the festive season starts.

"Police continue to receive reports of missing persons and this is usually a trend when the festive season starts and when the school holidays is just around the corner," police spokesman Inspector Atunaisa Sokomuri said.

"This year, the Fiji Police Force has received a total of 277 missing persons reports compared to 241 last year."

Police statistics show that this year, six reports involve children less than 10 years and 83 with age range of 11 to 16 years old.

"The Fiji Police Force is concerned at the number of missing persons reports received and we are calling on members of the public to strictly monitor their family member's movements," Inspector Sokomuri said.

School holidays

Police have noticed that a lot of missing person reports were lodged with them during the school holidays.

And they have advised children to inform their parents of their whereabouts to prevent any misunderstandings during the two-week break.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said children, at all times, needed to stay in touch with their parents or guardians on their whereabouts.

"Past trends have shown that this is the usual time where we get a surge in missing persons report in particular children as they have a tendency to leave homes without their parent's knowledge," she said.

"And some, while their families are aware of their plans, they've often failed to keep them updated of any changes thus resulting in the missing person report being lodged."

She added that with the hype of sporting events, church conferences and the Hibiscus Festival in the next few days, students are advised to make wise decisions.

"There are also a lot of activities happening, sporting or otherwise, and children are advised not to stray from these activities and get caught in situations that could affect their studies."

Sunday 03 November 2013

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