Your Rights as a Victim of Crime in Mauritius

A victim reports facts; the State investigates and prosecutes. That division is fundamental in Mauritius. The police receive the complaint and gather evidence, while the Director of Public Prosecutions is constitutionally independent and decides prosecutions after the investigation. A complainant’s understandable wish for a particular charge or sentence does not replace either institution’s legal role.

Reporting to the police

In immediate danger, call the police emergency number 999. Otherwise, a complaint may be made orally or in writing at the nearest police station. According to the Mauritius Police Force’s official guidance, an oral complaint is reduced to writing and signed. A station should not refuse a report merely because the incident occurred outside its district: it should take initial necessary action and transfer the matter to the appropriate station.

Ask for the reference information needed to follow up and note the station, date, officer and documents handed over. Describe what you personally perceived before adding what another person later said. If a date is uncertain, say that it is approximate. A correction volunteered promptly is more useful than maintaining an inaccurate detail because it already appears in the first statement.

Preserving physical and digital evidence

Keep original messages with the surrounding conversation, not only selected screenshots. Export or back up data where possible without altering the source device. Retain receipts, bank references, photographs in their original format, clothing or objects requested by investigators, and a record of who held each item. For injury or trauma, follow medical advice and preserve treatment records, invoices and certificates.

Do not create a joint narrative with other witnesses. Two people can honestly recall an event differently; identical accounts drafted together can damage rather than strengthen their evidence. Avoid naming an alleged offender on social media, publishing documents or inviting online users to identify a suspect. Public circulation may prejudice the investigation, expose private information or create a separate legal problem.

What happens during the investigation

The police may take further statements, seek documents, arrange an identification procedure, obtain expert or medical evidence, interview suspects and submit a file for prosecutorial consideration. The victim may be contacted more than once because new material raises a precise question. That does not necessarily mean the first account was disbelieved.

Follow-up is normally made with the investigating officer or police station. Active enquiries and the rights of other participants can limit what can be disclosed at a particular stage. Keep contact details current and report new threats or interference immediately. A complainant should not try to fill an information gap by confronting a suspect or accessing another person’s account or device.

The DPP is independent of the police

Section 72 of the Constitution gives the Director of Public Prosecutions authority over criminal proceedings. The Office of the DPP considers files after police investigation and makes prosecution decisions independently of the police, Government and private parties. This is why “I made a complaint” and “the State filed a charge” are not the same event.

A prosecution must address admissible evidence and the criminal standard of proof. The victim may be an essential witness but is not the prosecutor’s client. Our criminal process guide explains the roles of police, prosecutor, defence and court. If a provisional charge appears during the investigation, its limited function is addressed in the guide to provisional charges.

Giving evidence in court

A witness who is summoned must attend and answer questions truthfully, subject to the court’s directions. Review your own prior statement only through the proper process; do not memorise an improved version. If language, disability, health, childcare or a genuine safety issue may affect attendance or communication, raise it early with the relevant authority so lawful arrangements can be considered.

Mauritian law contains specific protections rather than one universal “victim procedure”. Under the Courts Act, a court may exclude the public in circumstances including protecting the welfare of someone under 18 or private life. In sexual-offence proceedings, the court has power in the statutory circumstances to receive a complainant’s evidence by live video link. Those measures depend on the law and judicial decision; they are not automatic promises of anonymity or a closed courtroom.

Specialist victim and witness support

The Office of the DPP has a Victim and Witness Support Unit for support after investigation, with particular attention to matters such as child abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence and victims who are elderly or have disabilities. Its official description records coordination with bodies including the Police Family Protection Unit and Child Development Unit. A need for support should be identified to the investigator or prosecutor instead of being left until the trial date.

Where the risk arises from domestic violence, the immediate protective routes require their own assessment. See the first-steps guide for domestic violence. Emergency safety action should never be postponed while documents are being organised.

Loss, injury and a civil claim

A conviction does not automatically reimburse every medical expense, lost earning or damaged item. Depending on the facts and legal basis, a victim may have a separate civil claim against the wrongdoer. That claim has its own parties, pleadings, proof of causation and loss, and prescription analysis. Medical reports, salary evidence, invoices, repair estimates and proof of payment therefore serve a different function from evidence establishing the offence.

Suppose a pedestrian in Quatre Bornes suffers injury during an alleged assault and misses six weeks of work. The police file may address identity and criminal responsibility; a civil damages assessment additionally needs evidence of treatment, incapacity, earnings and expense. It is unsafe to wait for the criminal case to finish before asking whether a civil time limit is running.

If the prosecution does not proceed

A decision not to prosecute is not a finding that nothing happened, nor does the victim control its reversal. Ask the relevant authority what information can be provided and whether genuinely new evidence can be submitted. Preserve the full file before considering any separate civil or protective route. A barrister can advise on the legal options but cannot promise that the police or DPP will adopt a requested charge.

The most useful case folder separates four things: the signed police statement and reference; original evidential material; safety-related communications; and proof of financial or medical loss. That structure mirrors the institutions’ different tasks and makes any legal consultation more precise. For guidance on engaging counsel, read how to choose a barrister or visit the relevant practice page.

This article is general legal information for Mauritius, not legal advice. For advice on your situation, consult a barrister.