Guangzhou will set up a juvenile court in the wake of the increasing number of juvenile offenders in the city shortly, the Guangzhou Daily reported Monday.

The planned court will deal with three categories of cases involving juveniles -- criminal cases, civil cases and administrative cases.

As one of the first group of pilot cities to build juvenile courts in the country, Guangzhou has witnessed an increasing number of criminal cases committed by young people in recent years, from 514 cases in 1998 to 1,584 in 2004. The number reached 1,233 in the first nine months in 2005.

According to statistics of the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, robbery, theft, intentional harm, rape and affray are the top five crimes committed by young offenders in the city.

The number of juvenile offenders is on the rise, while their average age is dropping.

Juvenile courtrooms were set up in Guangzhou's intermediate court and district-level courts 10 years ago. However, they couldn't cope with the severe situation at present.

The establishment of a court specially designed for juvenile offenders is absolutely necessary and will boost the progress of the country's juvenile law system, the report said.

The court can also reduce pressure on the intermediate and district courts already overburdened with adult cases.

(Shenzhen Daily October 19, 2005)