Juvenile arrests up 20% in first half of 2026, driven by assault, damage cases

The number of juveniles arrested in Hong Kong in the first half of this year jumped by around 20 per cent, driven by cases of serious assault and criminal damage linked to debt collection activities.

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said on Wednesday that the force arrested 1,580 young people aged between 10 and 20 from January to June this year, an increase of about 20 per cent.

Among them, 283 were arrested on suspicion of serious assault, representing a 47 per cent year-on-year increase, while 140 were apprehended for criminal damage, marking a rise of more than 50 per cent.

In particular, 48 of them allegedly committed criminal damage as part of debt collection activities, compared with just 18 in the same period last year.