The police in Papua New Guinea's second largest city say the number of sex crimes against minors has risen.
The police chief in Lae, Iven Lakatani, says officers have been attending to at least one reported case of sexual assault on a child on a daily basis.
Mr Lakatani has told the newspaper, The National, that police at stations around the city are investigating the cases and trying to determine why there has been a sudden increase in such crimes.
He says although he has no statistics, children aged 15 and below are often found to be abused by people they know.
He says police have also recorded a recent increase in breaking-and-entering cases in Lae.
