As Christmas is just two weeks away, people have been seen on the streets of Suva with their tins or cent a vote cards collecting money citing various reasons.

The Crimes Decree 2009 states that no person may assist or take part in a collection without the written authority of the promoter (if any) of collections and every person authorized to do so will have to produce written documents on demand in the house to house collections or street collections.

The Decree now makes it clear that no collection shall be made in any part of the carriageway of any street, collection cannot be made in any place to the obstruction, annoyance or intimidation of any person, money collectors cannot carry any collecting box or tray which does not display on it the name of the fund in which the collection is being made, not more than two persons can act as collectors at one place except with the permission of police, district officer or a gazetted officer.

The Decree also states that a police officer may arrest without a warrant any person contravening or failing to comply with any of the provisions of the law and can be jailed for 6 months or pay a fine.