The number of individuals sentenced to life imprisonment has grown significantly, rising from 144 in 2017 and 2018 to 191 in 2022 and 2023.

This has been highlighted by statistics released by Fiji Bureau of Statistics on Fiji’s Social Trends: Public Order and Safety.

However, FBOS says there’s variability in other sentence lengths, with a noticeable decrease in convictions for sentences between 12 months and 24 months in later years.

It says despite fluctuations, the overall number of individuals on remand remained relatively stable over the years.

The statistics also highlights a rise in public order offenses while showing a decrease in violent crime.

The report reveals a concerning trend of rising offenses against lawful authority and public morality.

It says incidents have steadily climbed from 94 in 2017-2018 to 160 in 2022-2023 while offenses against public morality have shown a consistent increase, rising from 862 to 896 over the same period.

It says offenses against person, such as assault and threats, have fluctuated.

The number of reported incidents decreased from 367 in 2017-2018 to 302 in 2022-2023 and offenses against property, including theft and burglary, also showed fluctuations but with a general upward trend, increasing from 348 to 418 over the reporting period.