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TLDR: The number of youth offenders below 18 years old has fallen significantly, from over 4,000 in 2010 to 2,400 in 2020.
However, in the past 5 years, the number of young drug abusers has increased by 10%, and the number of young sexual offenders has increased by 49%. The most common crimes are still shop theft and cheating.
More thoughts: The report cites many possible reasons for the decline in overall youth crime rates, as well as the increase in specific types of crime like drug and sexual offences.
One important factor that has been acknowledged to help reduce offending behaviour is increased awareness and targeted education. Young people who are empowered with knowledge are able to make better choices. That’s just one awesome reason that you should learn about the law!