Violent crime is top offence involving under-18s in Cambridgeshire

More than half of crimes involving children and teenagers in Cambridgeshire are violent offences according to new figures.

The number of young people either receiving a caution or being convicted of a crime has risen over the last three years.

Figures obtained by Legal Expert via Freedom of Information Requests to 44 police forces nationwide as well as from the Youth Justice Board have shown a “shocking and concerning” increase in violent crime among children and teenagers across England and Wales.

The criminal injury experts have published their findings this week and the statistics show the level of crime among the under-18s in this county.

While the number of young people receiving a caution or being convicted is at a three-year high, the number of offences involving suspects under 18 has fallen slightly.

The figure for 2022/23 was 3,853 offences, in 2023/24 the number was 3,538.

Figures for the last three years show that more young people were the victims of crime than were the perpetrators.

With just under 15,000 (14,698) young victims compared to 10,935 young suspects.

The research found that violence against the person was by far the most common offence involving young people in Cambridgeshire – either as a victim or as the suspect with more than 5,000 crimes recorded in 2023/24.

Sexual offences were the second most common offence involving the under-18s with just under 1,000 cases – again either as the victim or the perpetrator.

Public order offences came in third place, theft fourth, arson and criminal damage fifth. Possession of weapons was low down coming in at eighth place just slightly ahead of vehicle offences in ninth.

Figures from the Youth Justice Board revealed the number of cautions and sentences given to under-18s in Cambridgeshire is at a three-year-high – around 350 in 2023/24.

Jane Davies, a Legal Expert solicitor, said: “The rise in crime, especially violent crime involving young people is shocking and concerning.

“Whether they are victims or suspects, more must be done to combat further increases and to prevent any more tragedies from happening.”

Across England and Wales, the number of arrests of children for notifiable offences increased by 9% in 2022/23.

It is the second year in a row of an increase, according to the latest figures from the Youth Justice Statistics.

A landmark report by government advisers last year revealed that half of all teenagers witnessed or were victims of violence in England and Wales in 2022/23.

The survey, conducted by the Youth Endowment Fund was the largest of its kind looking into what drives knife crime, bullying and gang rivalries and found “shocking and unacceptable” levels of youth violence.

It also confirmed the link between poverty and youth violence, reporting that a third of teenagers in families who rely on food banks were found to be victims of violence.

Access to youth support and mental health services has also been linked to increased criminal involvement in children and teenagers.

Researchers have also made connections between social media use and increased violence in video games, but these tend to be more tenuous and less substantive.