Two young boys, aged seven and nine, have been stabbed in separate incidents in the New Lodge area of north Belfast.
The seven-year-old was stabbed by a group of children aged about 11 or 12. He was leaving a grocery shop when his attackers demanded cash. They stabbed him in the arm and leg when he told them that he had nothing to hand over.
Shortly afterwards, a nine-year-old boy was stabbed in the same area, according to the police.
A local politician said he was not surprised at the age of the children involved in the attack on the seven-year-old as there had been an increase in the abuse of alcohol and drugs by young people living in the area.
The attacks took place on Monday evening but details were only released by police yesterday. They said that neither child had suffered serious injuries.
The police spokesman said that they did not know if the two attacks were linked, but a definite line of inquiry was being followed.
A local Sinn Féin councillor, Mr Gerard Brophy, commented: "We have young children running around this area in packs and there has been a marked increase in alcohol, drug and solvent abuse among kids in the area. I am seeing younger and younger children involved in this kind of behaviour."
Mr Brophy called for more resources to be allocated to New Lodge. "This area has nothing for children - they have nothing to do because there are no playing fields or facilities to keep them occupied. We need a structured long-term policy to target such needs in this community."