Missing children costing Jersey police thousands

Jersey Police said overall crime in the island has fallen

A small number of children are costing Jersey police hundreds of thousands of pounds by regularly being reported missing, according to a new report.

The Jersey Police annual report showed that 82 children were responsible for nearly all the missing person reports in 2022.

Half of those were because of just six individuals.

The report said each missing person investigation costs the force more than £1,000.

"When children go missing, particularly on a regular basis, they are potentially vulnerable to criminal or sexual exploitation," said the police.

"Some are prolific offenders in their own right.

"Just these children alone represent nearly £800,000 in opportunity cost to the policing of Jersey," they added.

Domestic abuse

The report said overall, there were 3,015 recorded crimes in the island in 2022.

It said this was the lowest level since 2016, with the exception of 2020, which was affected by lockdowns.

A third of all recorded crimes in 2022 were assaults, with a fifth of these related to the St Helier night-time economy.

The report highlighted how certain violent and high-harm crimes, such as domestic abuse and sexual violence, disproportionally affected women and girls.

Physical and sexual assaults against females made up three-quarters of the 720 crimes against women and girls in 2022.

'New challenges'

Commenting on the report, Robin Smith, Chief Officer for States of Jersey Police, said the figures "show a picture of growing public confidence in the safety of our community, borne out by significant reductions in a range of crime types.

"At the same time, they also highlight how new challenges are coming to the fore.

"Central to these emerging trends is the protection of people who are at risk or vulnerable and we are committed to playing our part in driving sustainable change that embeds community safety even deeper into Jersey's way of life," added Mr Smith.