9,544 offences were recorded last year by children aged nine or younger, but police could not take action – crimes included rapes, arson, making death threats and drug and racially motivated offences
The number of crimes being committed by kids under 10 has soared 30% in five years, with kids as young as nine being investigated for violent offences.
There were 9,544 offences recorded last year by children aged nine or younger – but police could not take action. This was a rise of 30% on the 7,370 under-10 crimes recorded in 2019, before the pandemic, and an 18% rise since 2022’s tally of 8,064, Home Office figures show. They included rapes, arson, stalking, attacking police, making death threats and drug and racially motivated offences. In Cheshire, police faced an attempted murder suspect too young to go before the courts.
Under-10s cannot be prosecuted because the law deems them not criminally responsible for their behaviour. In serious cases, social services can get involved. Experts fear seeing violent content online and via phones might be behind the surge.
Campaigner Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna was murdered by two teens, called for families to delay giving children phones. She said: “These figures are devastating – I recently took part in a documentary “Brianna – A Mother’s Story” which also showed that peer on peer violence in schools is increasing.
“The main thing that has changed over recent years is the amount of unrestricted online access that children are exposed to – almost a quarter of children ages 5-7 already have their own smartphone. Online, children are being exposed to violent pornography, extreme violence, and misogynistic content.
“Ofcom found that every child they spoke to had seen violent content online, often without looking for it. This toxic material is desensitising young people and now this harm is seeping into society.
“At Peace and Mind UK, we’re working hard to give families the tools and confidence to delay smartphones until an appropriate age, support healthy screen time, and be more mindful of how technology is impacting their children’s development and wellbeing. However, we all need to do more. This is a societal issue and we all need to pull together to tackle this.”
Kevin Moore, ex-head of Sussex Police CID, also pointed to children witnessing sexual and physical abuse at home, adding: “Whilst children’s access to social media and the internet may explain some of this, I feel that there is a more fundamental reason. Children are too often witnessing sexual as well as physical violence within the home and this is unacceptable.
Retired Police Chief Supt Kevin Moore says many children are exposed to violent behaviour at home(Image: Ian Tuttle)
“This issue should be of deep concern to governments and society more generally. I speak from experience as a former police officer as well as the parent of a daughter teaching in primary education. Violent conduct by young children has been on the increase for many years now as evidenced by these statistics.”
Cheshire Police said: “All crime investigation outcomes are dealt with in line with national guidelines… and with consideration of the victims’ wishes.”
The Home Office was approached for comment.