Police avoid 'criminalising' children as youth crime figures revealed

Robberies, sex offences, burglaries and drug offences have been among the many serious crimes involved, with scores of children – including some as young as 10 – acquiring criminal records following prosecutions.

Figures obtained exclusively by The Cumberland News reveal for the first time the scale of youth offending across the county, with violence being the most common reason for investigations.

Worryingly, between January of 2019 and April of this year, more than 1,180 children were investigated for sex crimes.

Of these, 426 were aged under 14, with 32 of those children being just ten-year-olds.

The statistics – provided in response to a Freedom of Information Request – give a fascinating insight into youth crime in Cumbria, but police chiefs say that they are determined to avoid 'criminalising' youngsters.

Instead, the focus is on helping children wherever possible.

Cumbria Police works closely with the county’s Youth Offending Service and other partners in an effort to steer youngsters away from crime, often regarding such early life offending as an 'alarm bell' that can indicate deeper issues.

Facts and figures

According to the figures, covering January 2019, to April of this year, over the first four months of 2022, just over 2,000 Cumbrian children were investigated for violence – 804 of them between 10 and 13. 

In the older age category, those aged 14 to 17, some 1,273 children were investigated over violence allegations.  

In 2021, 4,872 children were investigated for alleged violence and of these 1,699 were aged between 10 and 13. The next most significant category of youth crime in Cumbria were offences of criminal damage and arson. 

Over the 40 months covered by the figures, just over 2,000 Cumbrian children were investigated for arson or criminal damage. 

In 2019, 617 children were spoken to about such crimes, with 228 of them being aged between 10 and 13. The figure for 2020 was just under 600 children, and the following year slightly lower, with 534 children investigated.

Also significant are public order offences. In the same period, there were 1,576 such allegations investigated. The figures for sexual offences show that over the 40 months, 1,184 Cumbrian children were investigated for such crimes. In 2019, 136 were aged 10 to 13, and 263 aged 14 to 17.

Last year, the figure dropped slightly, with 241 children aged over 13 investigated, and 122 aged 10 to 13. The figures also show that for the 40-month period the number of children investigated were:

• Drugs offences: 300 
• Burglary: 317 
• Robbery: 112 
• Thefts: 1,152 
• Weapons offences: 193 
• Vehicle crime: 113

The figures spell out how many ten-year-olds in Cumbria were investigated for a wide range of offences.

In 2019, there were 120 ten-year-olds investigated; in 2020, 126, and in 2021, 162. 

In the first four months of this year, there were 72 ten-year-olds investigated. In most cases, the investigations of children aged under 14 were resolved with 'community resolution'.

'Robust recording'

But nearly 600 older children were charged.

“We want to avoid the unnecessary criminalisation of children,” said Detective Chief Inspector James Yallop, a senior officer working in public protection with Cumbria Constabulary.

“There’s been a real focus over the last few years on ensuring incidents reported to the police are appropriately recorded.

"That’s resulted in a big drive in the number of offences recorded by the police.

Detective Chief Inspector James Yallop. (Image: Cumbria Police)

“Previously, incidents between teenagers may not have been picked up they are now being recorded robustly.

"That allows the police and their partners to get a better understanding of incidents that are taking place between children; to ensure that they get the appropriate support.”

'Child-centred' policing

Cumbria Police operates 'child-centred' policing team. For them, youth offending provokes the question: “What is going on in that child’s life?” 

DCI Yallop said: “Are they having adverse childhood experiences? Is there something going on in the family home? Is there something going on in the peer group that’s influencing their behaviour? 

“The highest category of crime where children are recorded as a suspect is violence. So, where traditionally that playground fight, or fight outside a school, may have gone unrecorded, those incidents are now being recorded.”

The officer said the intensive crime recording regime allows police to take a more “holistic” approach to youth crime.

“We look at each individual crime and incident to see what the most appropriate disposal option is,” he said.

“We have a youth offending panel which looks at the most appropriate action to address the child’s behaviour, whether that’s a community resolution, restorative justice, working with the youth offending service.

“There’ll be a multi-agency approach to ensure the right support is going in and we’re not criminalising children unnecessarily.”

DCI Yallop said the focus on support and rehabilitation with young offenders does not mean justice is not dispensed; rather it gives priority to exposing any underlying causes so that they can be addressed. 

“Every crime is assessed on its own merits,” he said.

“Action can still be taken through the criminal justice process and the Youth Offending Service are also involved in those decisions. It’s not the case that children necessarily walk away scot-free.

“But we look to see why it’s happening and take a supportive approach to ensure it doesn’t happen again. There are cases where children are prosecuted because the level or seriousness of the offence justifies that.  

“There is also a victim to consider at the heart of that. Restorative justice is always considered.”

The total number of children investigated by Cumbria Police over the 40 months covered by the Freedom of Information answer was 13,620. 

For more about Cumbrian efforts to positively engage with the county's youth, see the Police and Crime Commissioner's web page on Youth Engagement. 

Carlisle also has many positive and free youth services, offering support, educational activities and fun, including Carlisle Youth Zone.