LONDON (Reuters) - The number of young people entering the criminal justice system has soared in the last few years as police focus on minor crimes in order to meet government targets, a think-tank said on Monday.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that the number of offenders aged under 18 had risen by more than a quarter since 2002, two-and-a-half times faster than adults.
The number of under-15s being criminalised had also risen by a third, it said in a report, based on figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The left-leaning IPPR argued that youngsters who commit less-serious offences should face "Community Justice Panels", made up of victims and local representatives, rather than sent to court.
"Current targets to bring more offenders 'to justice' have resulted in the police concentrating on easier-to-solve, low level crimes committed by children and teenagers, often with complex problems," said report author Joe Farrington-Douglas.
"This has not resulted in crime reduction but serves to criminalise young people, increases re-offending and misdirects important resources away from dealing with severe offences and crime prevention."
The IPPR's findings echo a report last month by the right-wing think-tank Civitas which said police forces were putting government targets ahead of serving the public by criminalising law-abiding people for minor crimes.
Last month it was reported that four police forces had decided to abandon the Home Office's national targets and concentrate on "common sense" policing.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)
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