Primary school kids in drugs and robbery arrests

POLICE have arrested children as young as eight on suspicion of burglary and robbery.

Notts officers last year made 20 arrests of primary school-age children involving a burglary and ten children aged 11 or under were arrested for robbery.

Figures given to the Post under the Freedom of Information Act show that overall 44 children aged 11 or under were arrested in 2012 – down from 100 two years earlier.

As well as robberies and burglaries, other crimes included theft, assault and criminal damage. Some arrests were even made in connection with rapes, drug possession and having an offensive weapon.

The children are questioned at police stations but cannot be charged if they are under ten, the age of criminal responsibility.

One community worker says expensive gadgets like iPhones and BlackBerrys are proving too tempting for youths.

Trevor Fothergill, of the Windrush Alliance community group in Nottingham, said: "There is a pressure on children to own the latest mobile phone or other expensive gadget.

"It has become a way of being accepted into a group. They want to be seen to have the latest thing.

"For some children from a deprived background, it may be unaffordable. That's when they will look to target another child who has what they want.

"It is a society issue which somehow we have to change. Otherwise there will always be someone who wants something another child has."

In one case in 2010, an 11-year-old boy was arrested with two teenagers for threatening a 14-year-old boy with a knife and demanding he hand over his phone in Sherborne Road, Aspley.

The figures supplied by Notts Police also show there were 20 arrests of primary school-age children involving a burglary in 2012 – up from 16 and 13 respectively in 2011 and 2010.

Mr Fothergill, whose group has worked with many children from disadvantaged areas, said some youngsters were opportunistic: "They may be walking along the street and see a house with an open door or window and decide to take a chance."

Sergeant Debbie Barton, who has been working on youth issues at Notts Police, said: "Some of these burglaries are opportunistic. A youth may see an open garage and walk in to see what is in there.

"That is classed as a burglary."

She added: "You often have cases where kids are being dared to do something just so they can be accepted in a group."

In all, 91 arrests were made of that age group last year, down from 127 in 2010. The youngest child arrested was eight.

Sgt Barton said that although they were seeing a fall in the number of arrests, there will always be children committing crimes. She said the fall was down to targeting children at risk of offending as well as a different approach to some of those who have offended.

She added: "We work with different partners, like schools, to find those children who may be at risk of offending, perhaps because of their family background. We also have our restorative justice programme for those committing crimes.

"An example of this could be a shop theft, where the parents will make the child go in to apologise to the shopkeeper.

"It is about making the child understand the consequences of their actions."

CHILDREN who commit crimes are treated differently from adults.

If someone aged between ten and 17 is arrested, they will be dealt with initially in a youth court, though the more serious crimes are still sent to the Crown Court.

Under-18s who are sent to custody go to special secure centres for young people, rather than adult prisons.

Children under ten can't be charged with an offence as they are considered below the age of criminal responsibility.

One of the most high-profile cases in modern times was the murder of toddler James Bulger by ten-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables in Liverpool in 1993. They were both dealt with in an adult court.

Children under ten can be dealt with in one of two ways:

Local Child Curfew – under this, police can ban children from being in a public place between 9pm and 6am, unless accompanied by an adult. This can last for up to 90 days.

Child Safety Order – these can be given if a child breaks the curfew. It means they are placed under the supervision of a youth offending team. The order normally lasts for up to three months, but in some cases it can last for up to a year. If a child does not stick to the rules of an order, the court can consider whether the child should be taken into care.