Poor pensionersturning to crime
Charities which help the elderly have blamed the recession for forcing more pensioners to turn to crime and some police forces have said they are charging more older people with offences.
Age Concern said the trend was not surprising given the number of pensioners struggling to make ends meet.
The charity has estimated that there are 2.8m elderly people living in poverty, leading them to turn to shoplifting and even drug dealing.
Figures released by Scottish force Grampian Police at the end of last year revealed a 21 per cent increase in crime committed by pensioners in 2009 compared with 2008.