Inadequate legislation remains the biggest barrier for the Fiji Police Force in effectively addressing online crimes, says Police Online Inspector Salote Vuniwaqa.
Speaking during the ‘Digital Veiwekani: Fighting Fake News Together’ event hosted by the German Embassy, Ms Vuniwaqa highlighted the growing gap between digital crime trends and Fiji’s current legal framework.
“The biggest challenge is the legislation itself,” she said.
“There are many things we’d like to see reflected in the law, but some critical areas are missing from the current provisions.”
She pointed to the limitations of the Online Safety Act, which she said does not adequately cover emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Ms Vuniwaqa also noted that while the Child Protection Act, which governed child sexual abuse material online, was passed last year, it was yet to come into effect.
“Reports are coming in, but there aren’t enough provisions in the legal framework we’re working under to actually charge offenders.
Ms Vuniwaqa also raised concerns about the current penalties under the law, which she said lacked real deterrent power.
“For example, the maximum penalty is five years’ imprisonment or a $20,000 fine.
“But if someone pleads guilty, they get a 25 percent discount, and if the sentence is under two years, they could be back in the community almost immediately.
“That doesn’t send a strong message.”
She stressed the need for more robust legislative tools and sentencing provisions to hold perpetrators accountable and deter future offences.
“If we want to seriously combat online crimes, whether it’s fake news, scams, or abuse, we need laws that are fit for purpose in the digital age.”
