Latest figures show a rise in the number of 10-17 year-olds coming into the criminal justice system in the Dorset County Council area.
Statistics reveal a rise from 219 to 257 between the first and second quarters of the 2017-2018 financial year.
There has also been a rise in the number of children identified as being ‘in need’ – from 156.5 per 10,000 to 186.3 per 10,000 when comparing the second and third quarters of the financial year.
Cllr Toni Coombs described the figures as “disappointing” when they were presented to the county council’s Safeguarding Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
“It is especially sad to see an increase in the number of first-time entrants into the criminal justice system.”
Senior Assurance officer John Alexander, who presented the figures, said that the rise for children in need had been consistently upwards, but said that if early intervention strategies currently being introduced across Dorset were successful, the figures should start to decline.
Other population trend figures for the county council show a decline, from 192 in the second quarter, to 175 in the third quarter, for those who have completed a support programme via the Dorset Integrated Domestic Abuse service.
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