The French High Commissioner to French Polynesia has described domestic violence as the territory's number one problem.
Photo: 123RF
Presenting crime figures for 2019, Dominique Sorain said French Polynesia along with New Caledonia had the highest reports of domestic violence in all of France.
Women were three times more likely to be victims of violence than in France.
As a result, there were plans to set up a forensic unit at the hospital in Tahiti this year.
Violent crimes increased by 17 percent over the previous year, with most of them being domestic incidents which authorities say are now more likely to be reported.
The prosecutor said dismantling the networks of methamphetamine dealers was a priority, noting that drug crimes in French Polynesia were committed at twice the rate of France.
However, property crimes, such as fraud, theft and vandalism, had declined by four percent.
The prosecutor also said delinquency in general was contained, adding that the clearance rate of crimes was higher than in France.