Most, North Bohemia, Feb 17 (CTK) – The crime of children under 15 sharply rose in the Most area last year, having surged to 89 cases, double the number two years ago, local police chief Jiri Volprecht told journalists on Saturday.
Most frequently, this was the crime of child gangs. However, since children under 15 are not criminally liable, they cannot be punished for the crime. Due to this, the cases are mostly dealt with by social affairs authorities or guardian courts.
The child gangs most frequently operate in the heart of Most, where they commit theft, but also burglaries.
“The child gangs mainly focused on other children and very old people,” Volprecht said.
Last year, the crime related to 89 children, while it was only 43 in 2016.
The presence of child gangs is an affair of recent years, Jaroslav Hotovy, a police officer from Most, said.
“Admittedly, child gangs were here in the past, too. But they only appeared in such a number last year, especially at the close of it. This seems to be an ad hoc problem,” Hotovy said.
The police have solved almost all cases involving child gangs.
“This type of plundering is now widespread among the underage because previously, they were not uncovered and perhaps they did not realise the impact of their behaviour,” Hotovy said.
In the Most district, juvenile crime increased, too. The police found 92 such cases last year, while there were 63 of them in 2016, Volprecht said.
In this case, this largely covered the theft of cell phones and tablets.
Juveniles delinquents can be criminally prosecuted, but they are liable to one-half of the punishment reserved for adult people.
