1. In the 09/10 financial year how many crimes were committed in your area where the offender was aged under 10?

2. If possible please provide a breakdown of these offences showing the nature of the crime, the age of the offenders and the town or area where the offence was committed.

Your request has now been considered and the information asked for is provided in the attachment below.


Please note, children under the age of 10 are not considered to have reached an age where they can be held responsible for their crimes. Because they are under the age of 'criminal responsibility' they cannot be charged with any criminal offence. No child under the age of ten shall be guilty of a crime, however they can still commit an offence which will be recorded. The Home Office Counting Rules state …. ‘All reports of crimes made where the offender (if age known or otherwise) is under the age of 10 years should be recorded as a crime'. Children aged 10-14 can be convicted of a criminal offence if it can be proved that they were aware that what they were doing was seriously wrong.

The spreadsheet attached includes crimes committed by children under 10 of whom are only suspected as there is no evidence to convict due to the fact that they can't be convicted! If the same number appears in two or more rows, it’s the same crime with more than one suspect. Also it is quite possible that these suspects weren't working alone, and that an older child was also involved.