During the year ending in April 2022, two one-year-olds were investigated by police for assault allegations, according to crime statistics.
In the former county of Cleveland in north-eastern England, one child was accused of assaulting another.
In Norfolk, another individual allegedly committed “violence against the person.”
The number of juveniles investigated but not prosecuted due to their age increased from 6,153 in the year ending March 2021 to 8,061 in the year ending March 2022.
The number of cases that were not prosecuted due to lack of public interest increased by 7%, from 68,737 in the year ending March 2021 to 73,633 in the year ending March 2022.
David Spencer, Research Director at the Centre for Crime Prevention, told The Sun: ‘Investigating ‘crimes’ committed by toddlers is ridiculous when so many crimes destroy people’s lives.
The most recent crime statistics from the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales indicate a 8% decrease in total crime for the year ending in June 2022 compared to the comparable pre-pandemic year ending in March 2020.
In England and Wales, the age of criminal responsibility is ten, meaning that children under this age cannot be arrested or charged.
However, they can be given a Local Child Curfew or a Child Safety Order, which prohibits them from public places for up to 90 days or places them under the supervision of a youth offending team, respectively.
In 2018, research from the University of Manchester concluded that treating youth as criminals exacerbates violent crime.
In 2020, Sky News reported on Home Office data indicating a ‘dramatic increase’ in the number of minors referred to a government counter-terrorism program in 2017-18, including 24 children under the age of ten.
Between 2014-2015 and 2017-2018, the number of referrals for minors affiliated with the far right increased by over 400%.
The Cleveland Police Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment.