Big rise in post-pandemic arrests of children reverses trend

There were 1,209 arrests of suspects aged 18 or under across the county between April 2021 and 2022.

Arrests of children aged 13 and 14 more than doubled, while there was a 51pc increase in 16 and 17-year-olds being detained from the previous year, the annual report from the Norfolk Youth Justice Board (NYJB) said.

A driver has been charged with drink driving in Lowestoft (Image: PA)

Norfolk police said the increase was in line with national figures and was expected due to the pandemic with a fall in arrest rates during the previous year due to the measures in place during lockdown.

The rise reverses what had been a downward trend in arrests of children over the last decade, falling 60pc from 2,510 arrests in 2010 to 955 in 2020.

While the number of children cautioned or convicted for a first criminal offence in Norfolk is a fraction of what it was 10 years ago.

Children under police investigation for over 12 months

For the first time, Norfolk police have released data showing that 451 children were released under investigation following their arrest while 248 were released on bail.

The average time spent on bail was 40 days but the average time under investigation was 142 days but for some it lasted over a year.

For nearly half further police investigations eventually led to no further action being taken.

The most common reasons for children who were released under investigation include assault, drug offences, public order and criminal damage, the reports states

Those bailed were most commonly arrested for more violent offences such as robbery, grievous bodily harm, rape and aggravated burglary.

Chris Robson, independent chair of Norfolk Youth Justice Board (Image: Submitted)

Chris Robson, independent chair of NYJB, said: “Young people who are arrested or accused of offending are children first and foremost, and in many cases are victims themselves.

“We need to understand why they are behaving in a certain way and give them the support they need to flourish and make a positive contribution to society as they grow up into adulthood.”

Research by the Howard League, a penal reform charity, has shown that the more a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the more crimes they go on to commit.

Programmes to reduce child arrests help police “divert resources to tackling serious crime instead of arresting children unnecessarily”, it said.

'Meaningful' restorative justice for young criminals

The NYJB annual report, which is to be debated by Norfolk County Council’s cabinet committee on September 5, said it aims to offer “meaningful, creative and inclusive” restorative justice schemes.

This includes face-to-face conversations and letters of apology, while victims can influence schemes to make sure they are “meaningful and where possible we link it back to the victim, the offence itself or the location where the crime took place”.

Norfolk Youth Justice Service works closely with schools to focus on prevention, early help and inclusion (Image: PA)

Mr Robson said it also works closely with schools, health, police, children’s services and other partners to focus on prevention, early help and inclusion.

He said: “We know that most children have better outcomes and are less likely to get involved in criminal behaviour if they have strong support networks and are able to stay in school.

“That’s why we’ve implemented the successful Challenge for Change project to divert children away from criminal activity and reduce first time entrants into the criminal justice system.”

A Norfolk Police spokesperson said: “The Youth Justice Board was created as a partners’ working group to enable us to analyse and understand the drivers and behaviour behind youth offending and assess how we can work together to provide adequate advice and support to young people.

Restorative justice schemes include cleaning graffiti and vandalism (Image: Archant)

“The board meets regularly to explore new initiatives and over the next 12 months we will be outlining strategic plans to ensure we reduce the number of young people involved in the criminal justice system.

“We work with partners with the aim of diverting young people from entering the criminal justice system wherever possible.

"We strongly support the use of measures such as community resolution, which is a victim-centred approach where the victim and offender can seek an acceptable resolution through communication.”