A TWO-year old sex offence suspect, an eight-year-old drug offence suspect and a nine-year-old robbery suspect.

These are just some of scores crimes in the Bradford district over the last three years which children under the age of 10 – who are too young to be prosecuted – have been linked to.

The startling figures, revealed in a Freedom of Information request, show that youngsters have been connected to a catalogue of serious crimes including sexual offences, violent crime, criminal damage, drugs offences and fraud.

The NSPCC is calling for children who have committed offences to be given support to change their behaviour, and believes the age of criminal responsibility should be raised to at least 12.

It currently stands at 10 years old, which means children under that age cannot be culpable for crime.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said the force, in taking a victim-centred approach, would ordinarily record a crime in accordance with the National Crime Recording Standards and leave it undetected, or it would be reclassified as ‘no crime’.

“If knowingly a person is under the age of criminal responsibility we would not necessarily arrest or detain them,” the Force said.

“When we deal with a child for a criminal offence before we consider arrest we must really question the need to arrest and consider if there are any other alternatives rather than custody.

“Children brought into custody are in a particularly vulnerable position; not only by the virtue of their age, but also because of the circumstances which brought them into contact with the police. They may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, recovering from recent trauma or coming to terms with events that may have lasting impact on their lives. Judged even against the reduced capability of a child, they will not be in a strong position to cope with the stressful and demanding nature of being in custody especially overnight.”

The spokesperson said that when an arrest is made and a young person is taken into custody, the length of time they are detained is kept to a minimum.

Any child in these circumstances would then be referred through to social services and also the Youth Offending Team for support.

The police spokesperson added: “It is important to note that nominal records linked to offences with these criteria cannot necessarily be said to be offenders, or that any action could/would have been taken against that individual had they been of the age of criminal responsibility. It signifies only that the individual featured in the investigation.”

The NSPCC says that children aged 10 are “unlikely to understand the consequences of their actions or be able to effectively participate in criminal proceedings”.

A spokesperson said: “The NSPCC believes the current age of criminal responsibility should be raised to at least 12 years of age in England. Robust action outside the youth justice system to deal with child offenders aged 10 and 11 would serve justice more effectively and better prevent future crime.”

Councillor Abdul Jabar, Bradford Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said: “No one can fail to be concerned to see such young children on this list.

“The police are in charge of enforcing the law quite rightly but there is also work to do in trying to prevent crimes taking place in the first place.

“We have a strong partnership with the police, schools and other agencies. In Bradford for example, the council works with the police to put Safer School officers in place to work in our schools promoting the importance of being a responsible citizen to children and young people but clearly there is still work to do.”

Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, said the issue of children committing crime was “something we should all be concerned about” and said the notion of a two-year-old being a ‘suspect’ seemed like a “nonsense”.

However, he said: “It would be a concern if people were starting a path of criminal behaviour at a very young age.”

Mr Davies said such crimes needed to be looked at on a case by case basis, but said he would not want to see the age of criminal responsibility to be higher.

Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South, said: “These figures are shocking but we are still dealing with children. On the issue of the age of criminal responsibility – this is a complex issue that has far-reaching consequences. I would want to consider in depth the arguments on all sides before taking a view on whether raising the age would be appropriate on balance.”

The figures released by police paint a worrying picture of the young age of some of those linked to serious crimes, including sexual offences.

The NSPCC says “thousands of children” each year are victims of abuse inflicted by other young people.

“This issue is not widely understood but ensuring those who commit these offences are helped to address their sexually harmful behaviour is vital in reducing the number of victims,” a spokesperson said.

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“Most children who carry out abuse do not go on to become adult offenders if they are given the right support.”

In Bradford, the NSPCC’s Turn the Page programme works directly with children who are exhibiting sexually harmful behaviour to stop it developing further.