Police data points to decline in youth crime 

The number of juveniles arrested by the Royal Gibraltar Police has dropped consistently over the past three years, police data shows. 

The number of juveniles arrested in the year to date was 83, down from 95 in 2024 and 106 in 2023, according to police statistics provided to the Chronicle. 

Other data also pointed to a downward trend in youth crime. 

In 2023, for example, there were 375 recorded crimes involving at least one juvenile suspect, with 109 of those ending in either a charge, a caution or a court summons. 

In 2024, recorded crime involving at least one juvenile was down to 354 incidents, though the number of detected crimes – meaning someone was charged, cautioned or summonsed as a result of a police investigation - was also sharply down to 52. 

In the year to date, some 291 crimes involving at least one juvenile were recorded by the RGP, with 46 of those detected, although that number may increase as there are several live investigations ongoing. 

“Offences committed by juveniles cover a wide range, including antisocial behaviour, theft, violence, traffic offences, criminal damage, and drug-related offences,” a police spokesperson told the Chronicle.  

“The ages of suspects range from those born between 2005 and 2015, and the data indicates multiple repeat offenders throughout the reporting period.” 

“Overall, the statistics point to a year-on-year reduction in juvenile crime and custody numbers, although repeat offending and varied offence types continue to be consistent.” 

In 2025 so far, there were 12 repeat juvenile offenders, compared to 14 in 2024 and 17 the year before that. 

While the number of juveniles arrested by the RGP has fallen over the past three years, there are other issues of concern around youth crime.    

Childline recently told the Chronicle that its volunteers had been called to New Mole House police station 31 times over the past 12 months to support children who had no family member willing or able to attend with them, with some of those youngsters as young as 11.   

The figure compares with 19 call-outs in the previous reporting period, and involved 18 individual children, seven of whom were detained by police on more than one occasion.   

The age range of the children ran from 11 to 18.   

In one recent month alone, there were two call-outs for an 11-year-old and another for a 12-year-old held in custody, underlining concerns about very young children entering the criminal justice system.   

The charity’s conclusion was that behind the headline numbers sat a small but highly vulnerable group of children.