Fewer crimes committed by children in South Yorkshire
and live on Freeview channel 276
The latest Youth Justice Statistics show children aged between 10 and 17 committed 604 crimes recorded by South Yorkshire Police in the year to March 2023.
It was down from 810 the year before, and a substantial decrease of 73 per cent over the past decade.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAcross England and Wales, around 34,300 proven offences were committed by children – up one per cent from the year before but down 65 per cent from a decade before.
A spokesperson for the Youth Justice Board said: "The earlier we intervene to support children who are vulnerable, the more likely they will go on to live constructive lives.
They added: "This will result in less crime, fewer victims, and safer communities."
The figures also show the number of theft and handling stolen goods offences committed by young people jumped 23% from 2,200 in 2021-22 to 2,700 crimes last year.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHowever, in South Yorkshire, 22 theft offences were committed by young people in South Yorkshire last year – down from 31 in 2021-22.
The highest proportion of recorded crimes last year were categorised as violence against the person (31 per cent) – which ranges from minor offences such as harassment to serious offences like murder.
Commenting on the figures, YJB chair Keith Fraser said black children and those with mixed ethnicity continue to be over-represented across most stages of the youth justice system.
He added there have been "promising reductions" in the proportions of black children across several areas including arrests, youth cautions, first time entrants, sentencing and children in custody.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn South Yorkshire, a total of 268 children were cautioned or sentenced in 2022-23. Of those with a known ethnicity, three per cent were black and eight per cent were mixed.
National Association for Youth Justice chair Dr Tim Bateman said: "The increasing overrepresentation of black and other minoritised children within the youth justice system over the past decade is deeply disturbing and sits in stark contrast to other improvements in the treatment of children in trouble with the law."
He added the data suggests white children are more likely to be diverted from the criminal justice system than their minority counterparts.