Naomi Long

Justice Minister Naomi Long disclosed the crimes committed by children in recent years, including violence against the person, drug offences, robbery and fraud.

In certain cases, children aged 13 and under have been convicted of sex crimes.

Since 2010, more than 6,300 young people aged 16 and under have been convicted. But the number convicted each year has declined significantly over the past decade

In 2010, 931 children aged 16 and under were convicted of crimes, a figure that dropped to 422 in 2019, representing a decline of 55 per cent.

Over this period there has been a marked increase in the number of children dealt with by way of out of court disposals, among them warning, community-based restorative justice measures and cautions.

In 2010, youth diversion disposal methods were brought in as an alternative to court proceedings, with 2,134 children aged between 10 and 16. This number fell to 764 in 2019, a decline of 64 per cent.

Ms Long disclosed the information following an Assembly question from Green Party MLA Rachel Woods.

Of the fall in child convictions and those being given out of court disposals, she said: “Much of this is due to the commitment of my Department and criminal justice partners to early intervention and targeted support for children at risk of offending, with the aim of keeping them out of the formal justice system as far as possible whilst addressing their underlying needs.”

A PSNI source said: “If a child of 10 or 11 is appearing in court, it’s either for a very serious offence or they are a very persistent offender.

“If you can avoid putting a child into the system, then that’s what you’ll do because once they’re in the system, that tends to be it.

“If you get them early enough, children can be diverted but it requires a lot more than the police, you need the home, social services and the education system to get on board.”