A 12-year-old boy in Hong Kong has been arrested by police for joining the economy-killing protests, which are showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

So far, 15 Hongkongers between the ages of 12 and 15 have been arrested by Hong Kong police since anti-government protests erupted in June.

The Hong Kong police made this revelation on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

According to the South China Morning Post, the boy was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 25, in Tsuen Wan after a police-approved march turned violent.

His arrest was briefly reported on by Reuters on Monday.

Details of arrest

According to SCMP, the boy was arrested at around 6.45pm on Yeung Uk Road on suspicion of taking part in an unlawful assembly.

He was taken to the Tsuen Wan police station about an hour later.

At 8.20pm, he met with his father and a lawyer.

The boy was taken to the Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan soon after midnight as he said his throat hurt.

He was released on bail on Monday afternoon.

The boy was expected to start his first year at a Chai Wan school in September.

The school has been in touch with the boy’s parents.

An in-house social worker with the school is working on the case.

The school said it had not disciplined the future student, which is the opposite of what some claimed online.

Concerns about arrests of youngsters

Social workers in Hong Kong are expressing concerns about the detention of youths.

One social worker said police officers had initially bound the boy's hands together with cable ties.

The police only cut the cable ties when the social worker told them the child was young.

She was present when the boy was arrested.

The social worker was able to contact the boy's parents and arrange for a lawyer to help him at the Tsuen Wan police station as the child had shouted out his name and family members’ phone numbers when he was detained.

When the social worker asked if she could accompany the boy to the police station, she was refused by the police.

An officer was caught on camera telling her: “How dare you call yourself a social worker... if you really care about the youngsters, don’t let them get out here [at illegal protests].”

Police defend actions

The police have defended their actions.

They said they followed special protocols when officers dealt with underage detainees, SCMP reported.

A child’s statements to officers had to be done with the parents around, for example.

Other protocols include:

• An “appropriate adult” of the same gender as the child would serve as a witness if the parents are not around.

• An “appropriate adult” would also be present when officers searched young people.

• An adult inmate is also never allowed to be detained with the youngsters.

Social workers in Hong Kong do fall under the category of "appropriate adult", as stated in the police guidelines.

Boy's arrest strange

The arrest of a young child is also a curious outcome.

SCMP delved into the issue of treating children as criminals.

It reported that there is a presumption under the common law that a person under 14 years old was presumed not to have sufficient understanding of what is right or wrong, according to the University of Hong Kong’s Law and Technology Centre.

The centre said on its website that children of this age are incapable of forming the intent to commit a crime.

Top image of random boy cheering protesters via