Crime in Nauru
Nauru has a low crime rate and a majority of crime in the country are related to traffic offences. Multiple people from the penal colony of Norfolk Island escaped to Nauru in the 19th century, with one murdering a dozen people. Australia pays Nauru to host immigration detention centres.
History
[edit]John Jones, a convict from the penal colony of Norfolk Island, arrived in Nauru in the 1830s and murdered at least a dozen people. William Harris also escaped Norfolk Island and arrived at Nauru in 1842.[1]
The Japanese Empire's occupation of the island resulted in mass killings that lowered the population to less than 600.[1]
Australia pays Nauru to house the immigration detention centre Nauru Regional Processing Centre.[2] A riot broke out at the detention centre in 2013.[1] In 2025, Australia deported three criminals to Nauru, including one murderer, despite none of the three people being citizens of Nauru.[2]
Law
[edit]Arbitrary arrest and detention are illegal in Nauru. People can only be held for up to 24 hours by police without a hearing before a magistrate. The right to a fair and public trial is enshrined in the Constitution of Nauru.[3]
The maximum penalty for rape is twenty-five years.[3] No executions were carried out in Nauru between its independence in 1968, and the abolition of the death penalty in 2016.[4]
Statistics
[edit]The United States Department of State reported Nauru as a low crime area in 2014.[5] 618 criminal offences were recorded in the first quarter of 2024, with 332 being from traffic offences, 175 being criminal offences, and 111 being vehicle impoundments.[6]
References
[edit]Works cited
[edit]News
[edit]- McGuirk, Rod (17 February 2025). "Australia plans to deport 3 violent criminals to Nauru". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
Web
[edit]- "2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nauru". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- "Countries/Jurisdictions of Primary Concern - Nauru". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- "Nauru: New criminal law is welcome improvement on human rights". Amnesty International. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- "Police records 618 offences in first quarter". Nauru. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- Dauvergne, Peter (22 July 2019). "A Dark History of the World's Smallest Island Nation". MIT Press. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025.