A freedom of information request has revealed the extent of violent crime among young people in Wiltshire.

Police figures show assault as the most common offence involving young people in the last year - with harassment and malicious communications coming next.

The numbers obtained by law firm Legal Expert show over half of all crimes committed by those under 18 in the last three years involved violence.(Image: Legal Expert)

Since 2021, Wiltshire Police has recorded 15,400 criminal offences involving victims who are under 18 and 16,300 suspects between the ages of 0 to 17.

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Of those, violent crimes made up 57 per cent of all offences with a victim under 18 and 58% of those with an under 18 suspect - a decrease from the year before.

Between April 2023 and April 2024, 2,794 violent offences were recorded as having a victim under 18 and 2,951 with a suspect under 18.(Image: Legal Expert)

Solicitor Jane Davies said: “The rise in crime, especially violent crime involving young people is shocking and concerning. 

She believes more must be done to combat a further increase in young victims and suspects “to prevent any more tragedies from happening”.

In the last year, common assault and battery and assault occasioning actual bodily harm were the most common offences involving young people in Wiltshire.

‘Violence Against The Person’ is a broad term police use for a range of offences including minor crimes such as harassment and common assault, to serious offences such as battery, murder and grievous bodily harm.(Image: Legal Expert)

Legal Expert also obtained figures from the Youth Justice Board which reveal that 58 per cent of cautions and sentences given to children and teens over the last three years related to violent crime.

Across England and Wales, the number of arrests of children for notifiable offences increased by 9 per cent in 2022/23.

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It is the second year in a row of an increase, according to the latest figures from the Youth Justice Statistics. 

Data also shows that in the last 10 years, ‘Violence Against The Person’ saw the biggest increase out of all other crimes involving under 18s, rising by 12.4 per cent since 2013 across England and Wales.

A report by the Youth Endowment Fund indicated a link between poverty and youth violence, reporting that a third of teenagers in families who rely on food banks were found to be victims of violence.

In 2022/23, the rate of child poverty stood at 33 per cent according to figures by The Health Foundation. 

Wiltshire Police did not respond when asked to comment.