Broadsheet and tabloid alike used the Home Office's 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey to suggest youth lawlessness was getting considerably worse. But the statistics actually revealed that youth crime in 2004 was very similar to 2003.
"Across the seven core offence categories, levels of reported offending among young people remained stable," the report stated. It added: "There was also stability in the proportion of young people who reported engaging in antisocial behaviour." The survey was based on interviews with 5,000 10- to 25-year-olds across England and Wales.
Overall, 26 per cent said they had committed an offence, with eight per cent admitting to having committed an offence six or more times in the past 12 months, categorising them as frequent offenders.
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