Sheffield crime: Fall in youth crime in South Yorkshire, despite tragic Marcia Grant killing high profile

Sheffield saw one of the country's most notorious crimes committed by a child last year - but figures show a fall in crimes by children in South Yorkshire.

A boy aged 13 was sentenced to two years in youth custody after admitting causing the death of Sheffield woman Marcia Grant by dangerous driving, in 2023.

Marcia's family later said they felt 'completely let down' by the 'reduction in charges' granted by prosecutors, as the youngster had originally been charged with murder.

However, the latest Youth Justice Statistics show children aged between 10 and 17 committed 604 crimes recorded by South Yorkshire Police in the year to March 2023.

It was down from 810 the year before, and a substantial decrease of 73 per cent over the past decade.

Across England and Wales, around 34,300 proven offences were committed by children – up one per cent from the year before but down 65 per cent from a decade before.

A spokesperson for the Youth Justice Board said: "The earlier we intervene to support children who are vulnerable, the more likely they will go on to live constructive lives.

They added: "This will result in less crime, fewer victims, and safer communities."

The figures also show the number of theft and handling stolen goods offences committed by young people jumped 23 per cent from 2,200 in 2021-22 to 2,700 crimes last year.

However, in South Yorkshire, 22 theft offences were committed by young people in South Yorkshire last year – down from 31 in 2021-22.

The highest proportion of recorded crimes last year were categorised as violence against the person (31 per cent) – which ranges from minor offences such as harassment to serious offences like murder.

Commenting on the figures, YJB chair Keith Fraser said black children and those with mixed ethnicity continue to be over-represented across most stages of the youth justice system.

He added there have been "promising reductions" in the proportions of black children across several areas including arrests, youth cautions, first time entrants, sentencing and children in custody.

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In South Yorkshire, a total of 268 children were cautioned or sentenced in 2022-23. Of those with a known ethnicity, three per cent were black and eight per cent were mixed.

National Association for Youth Justice chair Dr Tim Bateman said: "The increasing overrepresentation of black and other minoritised children within the youth justice system over the past decade is deeply disturbing and sits in stark contrast to other improvements in the treatment of children in trouble with the law."

He added the data suggests white children are more likely to be diverted from the criminal justice system than their minority counterparts.

He called for greater transparency in the decision-making process as to which children are cautioned or prosecuted, and which are not.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the number of children entering the criminal justice system has fallen by 72 per cent since 2012 with an even greater reduction in those receiving a caution or sentence.

They added: "At the same time, the proportion of arrested children who are black has fallen for a third consecutive year.

"We’re doing more than ever to divert ethnic minority youngsters away from crime as well as tackling disparities in the system – for example by increasing diversity in the judiciary."