Juvenile crime and arrests in Greece

Authorities in Greece have conducted several operations targeting juvenile criminal activity involving arson, theft, and organized gang behavior.

In early September, police arrested minors in Psychiko for allegedly causing a fire in dry vegetation by throwing firecrackers, leading to the arrest of their parents for neglect of supervision. Simultaneously, a juvenile gang in Chania was dismantled after 14 incidents of theft targeting motorcycles, scooters, and car batteries.

By mid-September, judicial authorities in Lamia sentenced two minors to a specialized juvenile detention center following a series of burglaries and thefts. The group, accused of forming a gang and causing property damage, included a 16-year-old who had previously escaped from a juvenile institution. One notable incident involved the theft of personal documents and cash from a nursery. Authorities continue to search for a third member of the Lamia group.

Recent developments in the Lamia case confirm that the two arrested minors—a 16-year-old previously escaped from the Volos Juvenile Reformatory Institution and a 17-year-old of Albanian descent—were apprehended at an apartment. They are accused of a crime spree between September 8 and September 17, 2026, which included stealing a director’s bag from a nursery school, robbing a cafe cash box in a central square, stealing motorcycles, and using stolen bank cards for contactless transactions. Due to the frequency and methodology of these crimes, judicial authorities placed the minors in a correctional facility with a specialized wing for young inmates. Legal proceedings have also been initiated against the parents of the minors for neglect of supervision. A 15-year-old third member remains at large under an arrest warrant.