The number of children prosecuted for criminal offences has dropped by 41% over the past decade, according to new figures.
They show 61 children have faced court action over sexual offences since 2017.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has released these details on juvenile offences under the Freedom of Information Act.
The stats relate to the main charge the suspect faced - so don't include multiple charges.
In 2009, 601 cases were directed for prosecution where the suspect was under 18.
This dropped to 354 last year - and 342 so far in 2019.
Over the past three years, 1,042 kids have faced prosecution.
61 of those cases relate to sexual offences, while 280 were over non-fatal offences and assaults.
63 children have faced court action for possessing a firearm or offensive weapon since 2017.
