§ 28. Mr. Peter Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young persons under the age of 18 years were convicted for acts of vandalism in the years 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.
§ Mr. JohnThe readily available information is in terms of offenders aged under 17. There is no specific criminal offence of vandalism, and the following table shows the numbers of persons aged under 17 found guilty of offences of malicious damage and criminal damage between 1971 and 1974. The figure for 1975 is not yet available.
Persons aged under 17 found guilty of offences of malicious damage and criminal damage—England and Wales, 1971–74 Year Numbers 1971 (malicious damage) … 4,909 1972 … 7,680 1973 … 9,678 1974 … 10,133 The figure for 1971 is not comparable with those for later years, because of changes in the definition of offences brought about by the Criminal Damage Act 1971.