Violent Crime Carried Out By Children And Teenagers Has Gone Up By A Third In Only Three Years
1. Violent crime carried out by children and teenagers has gone up by a third in only three years, it can be disclosed. The number of under-18s convicted or cautioned over violent offences rose from 17,590 to 24,102 - an increase of 37 per cent Total offences climbed steadily from 184,474 in 2003 to 222,750 in 2006, the last year for which figures are available - a rise of 21 per cent. But the increase in violent offending was steeper, while robberies rose even more dramatically, up 43 per cent over the three years. By contrast, adult convictions and cautions increased by less than one per cent. More than half of young offenders were let off with cautions, whereby they admitted their offence but were spared a court appearance and were not punished. The National Crime Prevention Council has stated that 25% of people that get apprehended for shoplifting are between the ages of thirteen and seveneteen. There are approximately 27 million shoplifters (or 1 in 11 people) in our nation today. More than 10 million people have been caught shoplifting in the last five years. Approximately 25 percent of shoplifters are kids, 75 percent are adults. 55 percent of adult shoplifters say they started shoplifting in their teens 9 percent of kids say they know other kids who shoplift. 66 percent say they hang out with those kids. Shoplifters say they are caught an average of only once in every 48 times they steal. They are turned over to the police 50 percent of the time.
