[?]jian Youths
p. 115 · Read in the full issue
[?] Problems
[?] The Colony
[?]jian Youths [?]efore the Courts
From Our Suva Correspondent SUVA, March 25. lANS between the ages of 17 and 19 were the main offenders recent wave of larrikinism in the ny. is is a development utterly jn to the Fijian way of life tias disturbed serious observers, have long been pointing out erious lack of social and other i-time facilities for youths. It ieen suggested frequently that lack is probably to a consider degree responsible for some of iccasional “crime waves” that I Fiji’s capital. ne of the amateur criminals in serious theft cases have been ;y in their methods and have caught trying to dispose of loot. An enterprising youth slid down a rope from the roof liter Home and Co.’s shop later d up a suitcase full of reels tton. Another took about 12 of gramophone needles from ;’ shop. Both were caught trying to sell the proceeds of robberies. ir youths, all in the 17-19 age », wore masks when they held young couple in the back seat car on Queen Elizabeth Drive, arge of robbery was ruled out ie grounds that statements had improperly taken, and all the is were sentenced to three hs’ gaol for being rogues and >onds. a police appeal, the Chief ce gave them 12 months for ng a wristlet watch. (The is had said that they would n the watch if the young man 1 furnish a bottle of overproof the following night. However, he meeting-place the young its found a police officer and a r of Fijian constables). e root of much of the evil lies e continued drift of young men the city. A move has now been : by the Commissioner of Police E. K. Laws), who has formed rong committee to set about istablishment of a Boys’ Club. th organised sports and boxing es, this club, backed by the n leaders, is calculated to appeal tion-loving lads who might fall the traps set by those who are y s ready to take advantage of ignorance of city life.
However, not all the trouble occurs in the city. There was an outbreak of larrikinism in Lomaloma, Lau Islands, recently when a gang of youths damaged a bridge and some private property.
Older residents believe that it is the result of seeing too many movies. A contributing cause could be the fact that under Fiji’s system of centralised government, the centre for dispensing law and order lies over 200 miles from Lomolama, in Suva. The theory apparently is that Fijian community discipline should be sufficient to control this sort of juvenile deliquency.