THERE were more than 500 youngsters under 18 charged with committing criminal offences in north Kent during the last year, according to police figures.

On average there were 10 charges brought against young people from the boroughs of Dartford and Gravesham each week, including offenders as young as 11.

The most common offence was violence against a person, with 158 youngsters accused of violence over 12 months.

There were also 11 juveniles including a 12-year-old accused of sexual offences and 23 including a 12 and 13-year-old charged with robbery.

And 32 teenagers aged from 13 to 17 were alleged to have committed drugs offences.

The Kenward Trust, which has a centre in Windmill Street, Gravesend, is currently running its Grey Zebra Youth Project, to educate youngsters about drugs.

Spokesman Tony Williams says the trust has outreach workers who go into schools across north Kent.

He said: “The word on this is education. Educate young people on what is around, what is going to be offered and more to the point what it’s going to do to them.

“If a young person has a drug-related criminal record universities or colleges won’t take them, or they won’t be able to go to Disneyland in Florida for example, because they wouldn’t be allowed into the USA.

“These are the sort of things we’re saying to kids, listen to the consequences, these things could happen to you.”

The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed there were 522 youngsters aged between 10 and 17 charged with criminal offences in the 12 months leading up to March 31, compared with 478 in the previous year, and 614 before then.

After violence against a person, the offence for which the highest number of juveniles were charged was criminal damage at 70, shoplifting at 65 and theft at 51.

Police say in the rare cases where a person aged under 16 is charged for violent offences, the offence has often been connected with bullying.

One incident cited involved two boys who assaulted a 12-year-old boy at school, whom they had been bullying for some time.

The victim received a bruised eye and temporary but nasty facial injuries.

On another occasion two girls argued with and attacked a younger girl, punching her and tearing her clothes.

There was an incident where two 12-year-old boys on scooters attempted to grab a handbag from an 83-year-old woman who was crossing the road.

They caused her to fall and injure herself but the bag was later recovered.

And in another incident several boys approached a boy as he left a sweetshop and robbed him of his sweets and £5.

Kent County Council’s cabinet member for children, families and education, Sarah Hohler, said: “Our purpose is not only to educate Kent’s children and young people, but to broaden their horizons and perspective, so they become well-rounded citizens of tomorrow.

“Working closely with schools, parents, and partner agencies, we endeavour to show young people that they have the potential to achieve their ambitions and by breaking the law, they are jeopardising these opportunities.

“We take the incidents of juvenile crime very seriously indeed.

“Anti-bullying is a key element of the personal, social and health education curriculum and our recently released PSHE strategy reinforces to schools that Kent County Council believes no form of bullying can be tolerated.”