Posed scene of a group of teenagers in a scuffle.
Keystone/Martin Ruetschi
Convictions for drug abuse among minors dropped last year in Switzerland, but young people committed more violent crimes, according to official statistics.
The authorities recorded a 23% increase in violent crimes. The 7,944 verdicts included assaults, robbery and causing grievous bodily, the Federal Statistics OfficeExternal link said on Monday. The number of sexual offences went up by 20%.
But convictions of minors aged between ten and 18 for drugs dropped by 18% to 4,825 cases. Just over 3,800 violations against the Swiss traffic code and transport law (3,418 cases) were also recorded.
In total, just over 20,600 verdicts against minors were handed down last year, up 10% on 2019.
However, the office warns that the latest figures are only partly comparable with those from previous years as the new statistics for the first time cover all legal aspects.
As a rule, a juvenile delinquent can only be fined or sentenced to a jail term from the age of 16. Other forms of conviction, applied in cases of younger criminals, include reprimands and social work or restraining orders.
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There was a 6% rise in drug use offences among young people in Switzerland in 2017, but convictions for drug dealing dropped by 18%.
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