Two 13-year-olds break into shops and steal phones in Götzis

Two 13-year-olds broke into two shops in Götzis and stole several mobile phones and cash, ORF Vorarlberg reported. The youths, who were already known to police, initially fled but were later stopped at Rankweil railway station.

Police told ORF Vorarlberg that the break-ins happened two weeks ago. Because the youths are below the age of criminal responsibility, they will not face criminal punishment.

The case comes amid a debate over how authorities should handle children below that age. In a separate case, a 13-year-old in Vorarlberg is suspected of seriously injuring two men in two robberies within two weeks, each allegedly carried out with a different accomplice. The same teenager is also suspected of injuring two police officers during an attempted break-in at a venue.

Vorarlberg regional councillor Barbara Schöbi-Fink of the Austrian People’s Party rejected Justice Minister Anna Sporrer’s claim that child and youth welfare services can already take criminally irresponsible repeat offenders into care.