Faith Leaders Call for Stronger Families as Fiji Confronts Rising Crime Concerns

Faith leaders in Fiji are calling for stronger families, greater community involvement and closer cooperation with law enforcement as concerns grow over the involvement of young people in crime and a rise in offences targeting homes and places of worship.

The call comes amid concerns over break-ins at residential properties and religious sites, with community leaders arguing that tackling crime requires more than policing alone. They say families, religious organisations, schools, communities and law enforcement must work together to address the underlying factors that can contribute to young people becoming involved in criminal activity.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Kasiano Vusonilawe has similarly said that youth involvement in crime requires a broader and more holistic response. Police have also adjusted their approach to dealing with robberies and burglaries as authorities respond to changing patterns of offending.

The concerns raised by Fiji's religious leaders place particular emphasis on the role of parents. Howell Road Sangam Temple head priest Siva Sri S. Prakash Sivam said families have an important responsibility to provide children with spiritual, cultural and moral guidance from an early age.

He encouraged parents to establish positive practices within the home and to ensure that children receive guidance that can help them distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

The underlying message is that crime prevention should begin well before a young person comes into contact with the criminal justice system.

For many community leaders, the family represents the first and most important environment in which children develop their understanding of responsibility, discipline and respect for others. Where family structures become weaker, they argue, young people may become more vulnerable to negative influences outside the home.

Reverend Lote Raboila, Secretary for Communications and Overseas Missions of the Methodist Church in Fiji, similarly pointed to the importance of family structures and values in addressing wider social problems.

His comments reflect a broader concern that preventing crime requires communities to address social conditions that can contribute to offending rather than relying exclusively on punishment after offences have already occurred.

The issue has particular relevance for Fiji's younger population. Police have acknowledged that the involvement of young people in criminal activity is a matter requiring a comprehensive response.

Rather than treating youth offending solely as a policing problem, the approach advocated by community and religious leaders involves education, family engagement, community activities and opportunities for young people to develop constructive skills.

This includes encouraging participation in sports, cultural activities, education, skills development and community service.

National President of the Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji, Dhirendra Dipak Nand, stressed the importance of providing young people with meaningful opportunities. He described the country's youth as its future and called for greater investment in activities that can keep young people engaged in positive pursuits.

The concerns are particularly acute when criminal activity affects places of worship.

Religious buildings are generally viewed as community spaces intended to provide security, support and social cohesion. Break-ins at temples and other places of worship can therefore have an impact extending beyond the immediate financial loss.

Damage to religious property can affect a wider community and undermine the sense of safety associated with these institutions.

The involvement of young people in such offences is also particularly concerning to religious leaders because it raises questions about the social and family circumstances that may be influencing their behaviour.

The response proposed by the faith community is therefore centred on prevention.

Parents are being encouraged to spend more time with their children and provide stronger moral and cultural guidance. Religious organisations can provide additional support through youth programmes, community activities and mentorship.

Schools and other institutions can contribute by identifying young people who may be at risk and connecting them with appropriate support.

Police, meanwhile, remain responsible for investigating offences and maintaining public safety but have recognised that enforcement alone cannot resolve the underlying causes of youth crime.

This approach reflects an increasingly common understanding of crime prevention: effective policing must be supported by measures that reduce the circumstances in which criminal behaviour develops.

Family engagement can be particularly important during adolescence, when young people can be heavily influenced by their peers and wider social environment.

A strong family structure does not guarantee that a young person will avoid criminal behaviour, but consistent supervision, communication and guidance can provide an important protective factor.

Community involvement can provide another layer of support.

Religious organisations, sporting clubs, cultural groups and other community bodies can give young people opportunities to develop relationships with positive role models and participate in activities that promote responsibility and belonging.

These mechanisms can also help communities identify emerging problems at an earlier stage.

The call for stronger communities comes at a time when Fiji is dealing with broader concerns about crime and social disorder. Break-ins and robberies can have a disproportionate impact on public perceptions of safety because they directly affect people's homes and businesses.

When criminal activity reaches places considered safe or protected, such as religious institutions, the psychological impact can be even greater.

The response therefore needs to address both actual criminal activity and the perception of insecurity that can develop when offences become more visible.

Police efforts remain an essential part of that response. The Fiji Police Force has indicated that it has modified its approach to robberies and burglaries, while also recognising that youth involvement requires a wider strategy.

However, community leaders argue that police intervention should be complemented by stronger social structures.

This includes encouraging parents to take an active role in their children's development and ensuring that young people have access to education, employment opportunities and constructive activities.

Economic and social opportunities are particularly relevant to crime prevention because young people who lack access to education, employment or positive recreational activities may be more susceptible to criminal recruitment.

Providing alternatives can therefore be an important part of a long-term strategy.

The role of religious organisations may also extend beyond traditional religious instruction. Churches, temples and other faith institutions often provide community networks that can reach families directly.

They can offer youth programmes, counselling, mentorship, educational activities and community service opportunities.

Such initiatives can help strengthen relationships between young people and their communities while giving parents additional support.

The comments from Fiji's faith leaders also highlight the importance of rebuilding a culture of collective responsibility.

Reverend Raboila called for communities to restore a culture in which people look out for one another and cooperate with law enforcement.

This approach is particularly important in neighbourhood-based crime prevention.

Residents who know their communities well can sometimes identify unusual behaviour or emerging problems before they develop into serious criminal activity. At the same time, community members need confidence that information provided to authorities will be handled appropriately.

Effective community policing therefore depends on trust between residents and law enforcement.

The relationship between police and communities can be particularly important when dealing with youth crime. Young people need to understand the consequences of criminal behaviour, but communities must also provide avenues through which they can seek assistance and change direction.

A purely punitive approach may not address the reasons why a young person became involved in crime in the first place.

Prevention and rehabilitation therefore need to operate alongside enforcement.

Education is another important component of the proposed response.

Young people who remain engaged in education are more likely to have access to future employment and economic opportunities. Skills development can similarly provide alternatives to criminal activity by giving young people practical pathways towards independence.

This is why calls for education, sports, cultural activities and community service are significant. They are not simply recreational suggestions but can form part of a broader strategy to reduce social vulnerability.

The emphasis on cultural and spiritual values also reflects Fiji's community structure, where religious and traditional institutions remain important sources of social cohesion.

Faith leaders believe these institutions can help reinforce expectations around respect, responsibility and community participation.

However, the responsibility cannot rest solely with religious organisations.

Families, schools, government agencies, police and community organisations all have different roles to play.

The issue also requires consideration of the circumstances surrounding young people who become involved in crime. Understanding whether offending is associated with peer pressure, family difficulties, economic hardship, substance abuse, lack of supervision or other factors can help authorities design more effective prevention programmes.

Without that understanding, interventions may address the symptoms without dealing with the causes.

The current concerns also reinforce the importance of early intervention.

Once a young person becomes deeply involved in organised criminal activity, intervention can become significantly more difficult. Identifying risks at an earlier stage can allow families, schools and community organisations to provide support before behaviour escalates.

This is particularly important where young people may be exposed to older offenders who seek to recruit them into criminal activities.

The experience of other jurisdictions demonstrates that organised criminal groups can exploit young people because they may be easier to influence and can be used for relatively low-level tasks.

Preventing recruitment therefore forms an important part of broader organised crime prevention.

Fiji's faith leaders are effectively calling for a multi-layered response in which prevention begins within the family and extends through the wider community.

Police enforcement remains necessary to protect victims and hold offenders accountable, but long-term improvements in public safety will depend on reducing the factors that contribute to criminal behaviour.

The concerns raised by religious leaders also highlight an important distinction between crime control and crime prevention.

Crime control focuses on responding to offences after they occur. Crime prevention seeks to reduce the likelihood that offences will occur in the first place.

Both are necessary.

Police can investigate burglaries and robberies, but preventing future offences requires attention to the conditions that allow criminal behaviour to develop.

The involvement of young people makes this particularly important.

A young person who commits an offence today may become involved in increasingly serious criminal activity if there is no effective intervention. Conversely, early intervention, education and positive community engagement can potentially redirect that individual towards a more productive path.

This is why the call for stronger families has broader implications than religious or moral instruction.

It is ultimately a call for stronger social resilience.

Families that communicate effectively, communities that look after vulnerable members and institutions that provide meaningful opportunities for young people can collectively reduce the conditions in which crime can flourish.

The issue is not limited to Fiji.

Across many jurisdictions, governments and law enforcement agencies are increasingly recognising that youth crime cannot be addressed through policing alone. Social services, education systems, families and community organisations all have a role in reducing offending and supporting rehabilitation.

Fiji's current discussion reflects that wider approach.

The emphasis on community cooperation is particularly important because many crimes affecting residential areas and places of worship occur within local communities. Residents are often the first to notice suspicious behaviour and can provide valuable information to authorities.

At the same time, communities need to avoid creating an environment in which young people are automatically treated as potential criminals.

Effective prevention requires identifying genuine risks while ensuring that young people have opportunities to improve their circumstances.

The statements from Fiji's faith leaders therefore represent a call for both responsibility and support.

Parents are being encouraged to take a more active role, while young people are being encouraged to participate in education, sports, cultural programmes and community service.

Police are being asked to continue their enforcement efforts while recognising that youth crime requires a broader strategy.

Taken together, these measures could contribute to a more comprehensive approach to crime prevention.

The immediate concern remains the reported break-ins and other offences affecting homes and religious institutions. But the longer-term issue is how Fiji can prevent a generation of young people from becoming increasingly involved in criminal activity.

That challenge will require cooperation across society.

Faith leaders can provide guidance and community networks. Parents can provide supervision and support. Schools can provide education and identify vulnerable young people. Community organisations can provide activities and mentorship. Police can enforce the law and work with residents to improve local security.

No single institution can address the problem on its own.

The message from Fiji's religious community is ultimately that crime prevention begins long before an arrest. Stronger families, stronger communities and greater opportunities for young people can form the foundation of a broader strategy aimed at reducing offending and improving public safety.

As Police continue to respond to robberies, burglaries and youth involvement in crime, the success of that strategy will depend not only on enforcement but also on whether communities can strengthen the social structures that help young people make positive choices.

The call for stronger families therefore represents a wider call for collective responsibility. Fiji's response to crime will require law enforcement, but it will also require parents, faith organisations, schools and communities to work together to address the factors that allow criminal behaviour to take root. By fLEXI tEAM