Raymond Brown
MORE than 1,000 children in Cambridgeshire were given ‘reprimands’ for crimes including possessing guns and knives and for acts of serious violence.
The shock figures, which also show that 212 of those given the sanction last year were aged 10-12 years old, come after a row over the criminal age of responsibility.
Children’s Commissioner Maggie Atkinson called for it to be raised to 12 from 10.
But that was condemned by James Bulger’s mother Denise Fergus as "twisted and insensitive".
Documents obtained by the News reveal there were a total of 1,050 reprimands or final warnings given to children under 15 last year.
Of those some 19 of the offenders were aged 10. The primary school age children’s punishments included 3 reprimands for actual bodily harm, and final warning for common assault, vandalism and shoplifting.
Some 79 children aged 11 were given the sanctions for crimes including ABH, burglary, mugging, GBH and robbery.
One 12 year old who was reprimanded for carrying a "firearms with intent" was among 124 children of the same age to be handed the warnings.
Other crimes for that age included wounding, robbery of personal belongings, 18 ABHs and 25 shoplifting offences.
And 182 children aged 13 were given the same treatment for crimes including four who assaulted police officers, handling stolen goods, sexual assault, fraud – and four for carrying a blade.
Some 304 teens aged 14 were reprimanded for many of the same crimes but also included arson, drugs, race attacks and stealing cars and bike theft.
And 342 youths aged 15 were among those caught for crimes including drugs dealing, firearms offences and mugging.
Cambridge News
