The news that 2,000 primary-school-age children were arrested last year (Report, 3 December) is a shocking indictment of the youth justice system in England and Wales at a time when there is a clear and growing consensus among the practitioner, academic and policy communities that the minimum age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales should be raised. At 10, it is easily the lowest in the EU (excluding other UK jurisdictions); it's well below the international average and a clear breach of international children's rights standards.

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