Crime survey to include children

[15th May 2008]

Children aged under 16 will be included in the British Crime Survey for the first time, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced.

Although the move is expected to cause crime statistics to rise, it will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how crime affects young people.

The Home Office is asking for opinions from children's groups which age groups should be surveyed and how. This could result in children aged under 10 - who cannot legally be held responsible for their actions - being asked if they have been victims of crime.

Furthermore, research has suggested that one in eight children aged 11 to 16 has been the victim of gadget theft.

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