An eight month old baby girl died after being electrocuted at home on New Year’s day.
This reinforced the call by the Ministry of Police and Prisons for parents and guardians to be vigilant when it come to the safety of their children.
Deputy Police Commissioner Auaapau Logoitino Filipo confirmed the death of the toddler and expressed condolences to the family from Samusu.
He said the child was electrocuted from a electric plug in the house.
Responding to questions from Radio Polynesia, Auapaua said that losing a child is never easy, but this tragic incident could have been avoided.
“Parents need to consider the safety of their children in everything they do. “Children are curious and are always looking for something to do.
“We cannot emphasise this enough, but the adults in the family home need to make sure the children don't reach the electric plugs, the cabinets and shelves are inaccessible to them, the TV stand is mounted tightly to avoid anything heavy falling on them.
“It it not hard to double check to make sure it is a safe environment for the children.
“The last thing the Police wants is lay charges against a grieving parent, but we will if we have to and it all comes down to parents being vigilant and paying attention to their children," said the Deputy Commissioner.
He said the police are investigating the incident and once they are done, and if it warrants criminal charges they will file it.
Earlier this month a woman in her 50’s was charged for child negligence under the Crimes Act 2013, in connection to the death of her three year old granddaughter that suffocated in a vehicle in Faleasi’u.
The incident occurred in October.
In earlier reports, Deputy Police Commissioner Papalii Monalisa Keti said preliminary investigation found the toddler was “left” in their family car and was discovered three hours later.
