Juvenile crime in relation to homicide, threats to kill, drugs, robberies and use of weapons including firearms all increased in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite a reduction in overall crime by young offenders during 2020, according to a new report.
Figures recorded by the Garda Youth Diversion Programme (GYDP) also reveal increases in other types of crime committed by teenagers and children under 18 years including possession and distribution of child pornography, abuse of animals and road traffic offences.
However, the latest annual report of the monitoring committee overseeing the GYDP showed the overall number of crimes committed by young offenders in 2020 decreased by over 12 per cent to 16,301 – down over 2,250 cases on the previous year – against a background of several lockdowns to control the spread of Covid-19.
It shows the number of juveniles suspected of murder in 2020 doubled to four, while five others were suspected of attempted murder.
The number of young people threatening to kill or cause serious harm rose 61 per cent to 74, while 299 children were detected of involvement in a robbery – up 13 per cent on the previous year.
An increase was also recorded in the number of detected drug offences by young people – up 8 per cent to 1,926 in 2020 with most cases relating to simple possession of an illegal substance.
Official crime figures show there was also a 9 per cent increase in juveniles involved in firearms and weapon offences with 537 cases.
Theft remains the most common crime committed by young offenders with 4,005 referrals recorded in 2020, accounting for approximately a quarter of all juvenile crime.
However, the level of crime was down 29 per cent on the previous year with a majority of offences linked to theft from shops.
The report shows 336 cases were recorded in 2020 where juveniles were suspected of committing a sexual offence including 53 of rape, although they represented a 16 per cent drop on 2019 levels.
At the same time, there was a 42 per cent rise in the number of child pornography offences detected to 78.
Traffic offences involving juveniles, including speeding and drink and drug-driving were up 7 per cent to 1,405.
A total of 25 children were suspected of offences against animals during 2020, while 37 were apprehended for breaches of Covid-19 related legislation.
The GYDP, which was established in 2003, is designed to allow young offenders to avoid having their crime processed through the courts system.
Any young person aged 12-18 years responsible for a crime must first be considered for a caution before they can be brought before a court. The decision to caution or prosecute is made by a Garda superintendent at the Garda Youth Diversion Bureau.
The decision is based on a number of factors including the nature of the offence, the views of the victim, the attitude of the offender and the views of the arresting Garda and offender’s parents or guardians and whether an apology has been made.
The latest annual report shows referrals to the GYDP in 2020 involved a total of 8,169 children – down 17% on the previous year.
The figures show 5,875 children – 72 per cent of the total – received formal or informal cautions.
A total of 1,441 children, representing 18 per cent of all individuals, were deemed unsuitable for admission to the programme in 2020.
It was the highest proportion of child offenders assessed as unsuitable to have their cases dealt with by the GYDP in the previous decade.
Such children also accounted for 35 per cent of all referrals in 2020.
Meanwhile, there was almost a sixfold increase in the number of children who received a restorative caution – up from 125 in 2019 to 716 in 2020 – although they still only accounted for 9 per cent of all cases.
Restorative cautions relate to a voluntary process whereby the young person accepts responsibility for their behaviour and becomes accountable to those they have harmed which may involve a face-to-face meeting with their victim.
The latest figures show males accounted for 78 per cent of all referrals to the programme in 2020, while 13 per cent of all children were aged 13 or under with 46 per cent aged 15 or under.
Across all age groups, a majority of children received only one referral.
However, three out of every 10 children referred to the programme during 2020 had two or more referrals with 468 children receiving six or more referrals.
Two-thirds of children with six or more referrals were deemed unsuitable for inclusion in the diversion programme.
Despite the overall decrease in the number of referrals to the programme during 2020, there was an increase in several parts of the country including Dublin North (up 13 per cent), Dublin South (up 29 per cent); Dublin West (up 10 per cent); Meath (up 4 per cent) and Roscommon/Longford (up 9 per cent).
The biggest reduction in cases occurred in Dublin North Central (down 49 per cent); Dublin South Central (down 41 per cent); Sligo/Leitrim (down 39 per cent) and Donegal (down 33 per cent).
The chairperson of the GYDP monitoring committee, Assistant Garda Commissioner, Paula Hilman, said the programme played an important role in protecting Ireland’s youth.
Ms Hilman said it also provided “a vital strategic asset to An Garda Síochána” as well as a unique opportunity for gardaí to engage with young people and to provide guidance and support to them in addressing their behaviour and making positive choices.
