Referrals to the children's reporter have risen by a third in the Borders

Case figures have risen by a third over the past three years from 852 in 2003/04 to 1,136 this year.

South of Scotland SNP MSP Christine Grahame claimed the figure highlighted failures of the Scottish Executive.

First Minister Jack McConnell has said the figures have increased nationally because the executive was actively seeking to tackle the problem.

Ms Grahame said that ministers were failing to reduce persistent young offending and failing to remove the social causes of the offences.

She also called for better funding of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) which she claimed was being "made to fail".

"Sadly the price of that failure will not be borne by coalition ministers but by children and their families across the Scottish Borders," she said.

Mr McConnell insisted the executive had given agencies the "right powers" to deal with offenders and tackle the problem.