Attica prefecture, which is essentially the greater Athens-Piraeus area, the Peloponnese and Crete are the three regions where a concerning rise in incidents of juvenile crime in Greece is most prevalent, as data collected by ToVima.gr reveals.
The largest spike in youth crime over the past few months has been observed in the popular Cyclades Islands (with a doubling of incidents and a tripling of arrests of juvenile offenders) as well as in the Ionian Islands.
Juvenile crime in Greece rose by 48% in the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, arrests of juvenile offenders have increased by 46% compared to last year. Notably, similar incidents saw a 60% rise in illegal activities involving minors during the 2022-2023 period.
In an effort to address the issue, the Greek Police (EL.AS.) has implemented a more comprehensive plan for recording these incidents by adopting more effective interventions.
Among the initiatives to be soon included is a special application (“panic button”) that will soon be activated on mobile phones for victims of such attacks, while new services will be created to handle violent incidents, based in local police stations, including the handling of domestic violence cases.
According to reports, curbing this phenomenon has now become one of the main priorities of the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrisochoidis, and police leadership.
