Youth crime surge as offences by children aged 10 to 14 increase by more than a third

Youth offending has surged in Victoria, but annual statistics show overall crime still remains below pre-pandemic levels.

The latest Crime Statistics Agency figures have revealed offending by children aged 10 to 17 jumped by 18.2 per cent last year, while offending among the state’s youngest age bracket of 10 to 14-year-olds increased by about 37 per cent.

Youth offending disproportionately increased in Victoria last year.Credit:Paul Rovere

However, overall criminal offences increased by just 1.2 per cent to 483,441 – still 9.8 per cent below 2019 levels.

Premier Daniel Andrews has promised to begin work to lift the age of criminal responsibility to 14 within weeks if state and territory governments cannot reach a national consensus. The current age of criminal responsibility is 10.

Victoria Police said youth offenders were over-represented in aggravated burglaries, car thefts, robberies and carjackings.

Children sneaking into unlocked homes to steal motor vehicles predominantly contributed to a 15.4 per cent annual increase in aggravated burglaries last year, according to police.

“While overall crime rates are looking relatively positive, there are a few key areas of concern for police, including offenders sneaking into homes to steal car keys and overall youth offending,” said Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent.

Crime agency annual figures show property offences among 10 to 14-year-olds particularly increased, jumping 47.8 per cent from 2081 offences in 2021 to 3076 last year.

Offences against a person – such as assaults – were 27 per cent higher for the youngest offending age group, with offences growing from 1705 to 2165 in the same time frame.

Among older teenage offenders aged 15 to 17, offences against a person increased at a higher rate than property offences. The former increased 18.9 per cent and the latter 13.2 per cent.

The agency’s chief statistician, Fiona Dowsley, said the majority of offence types increased in the last 12 months, “with notable increases in breach of bail offences and acquisitive crime types such as thefts”.

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