Violent children escaping with just a police warning

Thousands of young children have escaped with a slap on the wrist for crimes including rape, drug dealing and plotting murder.

Police have warned, reprimanded or cautioned 9,099 boys and 2,224 girls aged 10 and 11 for brutal crimes over the past seven years.

The alarming extent of child crime was revealed by the Ministry of Justice under freedom of information laws.

Last night, justice campaigners said it was “staggering” so many kids were being let off heinous crimes without facing prosecution.

Mum Theresa Cave, who campaigns against knife crime in schools, said: “These children should not be allowed to walk away with a slap on the wrist.”

Some 120 kids barely over the age of criminal responsibility have been warned for sex attacks, including nine rapes.

Another 1,160 boys and 137 girls have escaped prosecution for malicious wounding, 219 for arson and 51 for drugs offences.

Seven boys and girls were warned for conspiracy to murder, 11 boys for gun offences and three more for possession of obscene material.

Meanwhile, 30 youngsters have been warned for fraud and five for forgery.

They are all indictable offences which would carry lengthy prison sentences if committed by adults.

Mrs Cave, who has campaigned for victims of violent crime since her 17-year-old son Chris was stabbed to death in Cleveland in 2003, said young children were often led into serious crime by peer pressure.

She said: “I have always said education is a must to nip crime in the bud while children are young enough to understand, but old enough to face the consequences if caught.”

The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years old, meaning anyone over this age can be arrested or charged.

The number of 10 and 11-year-olds given police cautions has fallen dramatically from more than 4,000 in 2008 to nearly 600 last year.

The UK Government introduced new police rules for youth cautions in April 2013 to replace reprimands and warnings.

The new guidance stated cautions should not be given for serious or repeat offences unless there are “exceptional circumstances”.

A senior police officer and, in some cases, the Crown Prosecution Service now have to agree before officers hand out cautions.

A spokesman for pressure group Justice said: “For those young people that are committing crimes, it’s right that the most serious or persistent are sentenced to custody and those that commit violent offences face tough sentences.”

Chief Constable Lynne Owens, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said it was “legitimate” for officers to use their discretion when giving children cautions.

Superintendent Laurence Taylor said youngsters who commit crime are “often vulnerable” and police give careful consideration to whether to give youth cautions.

He said: “I am confident both the police and the CPS will have considered both the public interest, victim and offender before coming to a decision.”