BackFive juveniles were apprehended and arrested during the state of emergency period and detained by the Police Fox Unit at a Police Station for the alleged theft of copper wires within the vicinity of the buildings that were burnt down during civil unrest that took place on 10 January 2024.
When the Ombudsman Commission learnt of the predicament it intervened on 22 January 2024 and commenced preliminary enquiry at the Police Station. The preliminary enquiry established that the juveniles were unlawfully detained without proper charges laid against them. Hence, that same instant the Commission contacted the Department of Justice and Attorney-General Juvenile Justice Service informing of the need to assist these juveniles in accordance with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act 2014.
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General Juvenile Justice Service visited the juvenile suspects the same day, 22 January 2024, and provided assistance to have the juveniles released into parental custody.
Department of Justice and Attorney-General Juvenile Justice Service provided the Ombudsman Commission with a Report stating that on 23 January 2024, the five juvenile suspects were released back to their parents and families witnessed by a community leader and the local church pastor. Furthermore, for those juveniles not in school they will be assisted to be enrolled. In addition to that, the Department of Justice and Attorney-General Juvenile Justice Service will work closely with the police concerning future juvenile cases.
The early intervention by the Ombudsman Commission prompted the government agency (Department of Justice and Attorney-General Juvenile Justice Service) to act quickly which resulted in the juveniles being released into safe custody of their parents and families.
Source: Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea
