Increase in Crimes Committed by Minors in Armenia This Year

In Armenia, cases of crimes committed by minors have increased in 2023. This information was provided by the Public Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, in response to a written inquiry from Sputnik Armenia.

It was noted that during the first ten months of 2023, a total of 228 crimes committed by minors and involving minors were registered. In the same period last year, 183 cases of crimes were recorded.

“The majority of the crimes are related to property theft,” the report states.

At the same time, the police remind that there are various penalties for minors under Article 95 of Chapter 15 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, including fines, community service, deprivation of the right to engage in certain activities, restriction of freedom, short-term imprisonment, and imprisonment.

It also mentions that in order to make the preventive work carried out by the police more effective, as well as to enhance the legal awareness of minors, officers of the Police of Armenia conduct meetings and discussions on various legal topics in general education schools and educational institutions.

“The meetings and discussions provide minors with the opportunity to learn about their rights and responsibilities to protect themselves from exploitation (trafficking) and other criminal offenses,” the report highlights.

Preventive measures are also being carried out with minors who have committed various offenses, aimed at preventing possible further violations on their part.

“Police officers regularly visit the places where the offenders study, work, and live, conducting relevant preventive conversations with their teachers, neighbors, and relatives to assess their behavior in the environment. The preventive work encompasses the parents and other family members of the offending minors as well,” the police report states.

To prevent crimes among minors, identify their root causes, and eliminate the contributing factors, an institute of school inspectors was established in the Police of Armenia in 2013. Currently, school inspectors are active in high schools across the country and at the Republican No. 1 Educational Complex.

The police believe that the presence of school inspectors in schools significantly helps prevent potential conflicts and confrontations among students.