The most common crimes children and young people, from the age of 10 to 17, were convicted for in 2021 has been revealed.
Figures from the Crown Prosecution Service, following a Freedom of Information request, show the number of children prosecuted for crimes in Merseyside and Cheshire in 2021.
The available figures for 2021 show the number of convictions of children from January to June.
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The figures also show the total for the past five years- 2016 through to 2021 and what the most common crimes were that children were convicted for.
The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years old. This means that children under 10 can't be arrested or charged with a crime.
There are other punishments that can be given to children under 10 who break the law.
From January to June, 2021, 402 10 to 17 year old's were prosecuted.
In 2016 1,652 10-17 year old's were prosecuted, 1,572 in 2017, 1,465 in 2018 and 1,325 in 2019.
Due to the coronavirus lockdown from mid March to June end, the 2020, figures were affected.
By far the most common crime that defendants aged 10 to 17 were prosecuted for was offences against the person, a category which includes assaults and knife offences.
In law the term offence against the person or crime against the person usually refers to a crime which is committed by direct physical harm or force being applied to another person.
From January to June 2021, 142 people aged between 10 and 17 were prosecuted for offences against the person in Merseyside and Cheshire, almost triple the amount of young people prosecuted for any other category of crime, with drug offences the second most common, with 55 young people prosecuted for drug related offences in the same time period.
Government statistics for 2019-2020 show 19,000 children aged between 10 and 17 were cautioned or sentenced in England and Wales.
Many instances across Merseyside this year has demonstrated the devastating impact that young people becoming involved with crime, and namely knife crime can have.
A spokesperson for knife crime charity The Ben Kinsella Trust said: "Knife crime amongst young people continues to be a blight on our society.
"We have reached a position where, for a minority of young people, knife carrying is seen as the norm.
"Time and time again young people tell us that they or their peers carry a knife for protection, and it is this misapprehension that we work hard to quash.
"But let us not forget that young people are also increasingly likely to be the victims of knife crime.
"Homicides involving victims aged 16-24 in England and Wales have risen by more than 60 percent in the last five years.
"This increase is the highest in any age group, and young people are now the most likely victims of murder.
"Thousands of families will have spent this Christmas without their son, daughter, brother or sister as a result of this heinous crime.
"We must stop viewing knife crime as a short term problem with a short term solution.
"Knife crime has been a consistent societal problem for a generation and there is no magic switch to fix it.
"The solution involves changing the culture of knife carrying amongst young people, with sustained long term funding that lasts beyond a governmental term, and has cross party agreement.
"All too often we have seen short term fixes applied to a long term problem, and it is not working."
