Record number of teenagers got in trouble with the law for the first time

In 2022, over 17,000 teenagers between 12 and 18 were suspected of a crime. For 11,000 of them, it was their first contact with the law - a record number, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Friday. Three-quarters of teen suspects are boys.

“The share of young people suspected of a crime for the first time has increased in recent years,” CBS said. In 2022, 83 percent of the over 4,000 girl suspects were first-offenders, compared to 72 percent in 2014. Sixty percent of the almost 13,000 boy suspects were first-offenders in 2022, compared to 53 percent in 2014.

Teenage first offenders were mainly suspected of shoplifting in 2022. That applied to two-thirds of the girls and a third of the boys. After shoplifting, assault and public violence were the most common crimes.

Boys are very overrepresented among teenage suspects. In 2022, three-quarters of the young suspects were boys. “This overrepresentation becomes much stronger among repeat offenders,” CBS said. Repeat offenders are suspects tied to five or more crimes. In 2022, 96 percent of repeat offenders were boys.