§ Mr. Carmichaelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children appeared before a children's hearing in connection with a criminal offence in the latest year for which figures are available; what percentage this figure represents of the 9 to 16-year-old population; and how many children were officially cautioned by senior police officers without them appearing in a juvenile court.
§ Mr. Allan StewartIn 1980, 6,552 children of all ages were referred to children's hearings on offence grounds; a child may be referred to a hearing more than once during the year, and the number of offence referrals in 1980 was 10,786. The number of children referred to hearings on offence grounds in the 9 to 16 age group was 6,470, which represents 9.2 per thousand population in this age group.
In 1980, the police gave 5,660 cautions on their own initiative, and in a further 1,796 cases a reporter to a children's panel recommended that such a caution be given.