Child arrests by Merseyside Police fall by
75% in 6 years
ARRESTS of children by Merseyside Police have fallen by 75% in the last
6 years, figures published by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal, on
Monday, 7 August 2017. Research by the charity has found that the
force made 2,570 arrests of children aged 17 and under last year, down from
10,197 in 2010. Across England and Wales, the total number of arrests
has fallen by 64% in 6 years; from almost 250,000 in 2010 to 87,525 in 2016.
The statistics underline the
success of a major Howard League programme, which involves working with
Police Forces to keep as many boys and girls as possible out of the criminal
justice system. The total number of arrests has fallen every year since the
Howard
League campaign began in 2010, and the
impact can be seen in every Police force area in the country. Keeping
children out of the criminal justice system helps prevent crime. Academic
research has shown that the more contact a child has with the system, the
more entrenched they are likely to become, which increases reoffending
rates.
Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:-
"For the 6th year running, we have seen a significant reduction in
child arrests across the country. This is a tremendous achievement, and we
will continue to support Police Forces to develop their good practice and
reduce the number to an absolute minimum. Merseyside Police should be
applauded for their positive approach, and the Howard League is proud to
have played its part in a transformation that will make our communities
safer. By working together, we are ensuring that tens of thousands of
children will have a brighter future and not be dragged into a downward
spiral of crime and custody."
Every Police force in England and Wales made fewer child arrests in 2016
than in 2010. All but four forces brought down their number of arrests by
more than ½. Nationwide, there were 703 arrests of
primary age children (10 and 11 year olds) in 2016, a reduction of 18%, from
the previous year.
The statistics have been published in a Howard League briefing, Child
arrests in England and Wales 2016, which shows how reducing the number of
children entering the system has stemmed the flow of children into custody.
Between 2010 and 2016, the number of children in prison in England and Wales
fell by 58%. As in 2015, arrests of girls are falling at a faster rate than
arrests of boys. Police recorded a 69% drop in girls' arrests between 2010
and 2016, and the number of girls in penal custody fell by 78% during the
same period. The briefing states that the positive trend across Police
Forces has been led at a national level, most notably by the National Police
Chiefs' Council, which has prioritised improvements in the policing of
children.
The Howard League regularly meets and corresponds with forces and shares
examples of good practice in local areas. A good example has been set by the
Chief Constable of Durham Police, who has met each of his officers
individually to impress upon them a problem solving approach rather than a
reliance on arrests. Surrey Police has given training to all custody and
frontline staff, focusing on the need to reduce the number of children
arrested. The force also ran an internal communications campaign to
encourage people to see the:- "child 1st and the offence 2nd."
Thames Valley Police, like many forces, now has a system in place so
that an inspector reviews every child arrest.
There is still more work to be done, however. 2 forces recorded slight
increases in child arrests in 2016, although improvements have been made,
arrests remain all too common; a child was arrested every 6 minutes in
England and Wales in 2016.
|
Child arrest data from each Police
service in England and Wales is shown in the table below:- |
|
Police Force |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Avon
and Somerset |
7,255 |
5,608 |
4,321 |
2,929 |
2,342 |
1,767 |
1,533 |
|
Bedfordshire |
1,853 |
1,692 |
1,770 |
1,390 |
1,290 |
1,175 |
1,085 |
|
British Transport Police**** |
* |
* |
2,077 |
1,645 |
1,336 |
1,014 |
130***** |
|
Cambridgeshire |
3,440 |
2,099 |
1,473 |
1,067 |
1,060 |
979 |
1,013 |
|
Cheshire |
1,870 |
1,904 |
1,508 |
1,269 |
1,266 |
1,292 |
1,187 |
|
City
of London |
273 |
192 |
136 |
122 |
77 |
80 |
51 |
|
Cleveland |
4,367 |
3,368 |
2,407 |
1,862 |
1,527 |
1,358 |
1,206 |
|
Cumbria |
1,274 |
1,864 |
1,263 |
1,125 |
1,073 |
1,034 |
900 |
|
Derbyshire |
4,194 |
3,938 |
** |
1,930 |
1,840 |
1,573 |
797** |
|
Devon and Cornwall |
4,132 |
3,363 |
2,398 |
1,431 |
1,470 |
1,297 |
994 |
|
Dorset |
2,310 |
1,053 |
1,252 |
815 |
770 |
916 |
447 |
|
Durham |
3,658 |
2,841 |
1,767 |
1,445 |
1,493 |
1,193 |
1,157 |
|
Dyfed Powys |
2,307 |
1,643 |
1,584 |
1,165 |
687 |
625 |
501 |
|
Essex |
7,739 |
5,870 |
4,237 |
3,931 |
3,718 |
2,635 |
2,588 |
|
Gloucestershire |
1,516 |
1,412 |
1,268 |
920 |
861 |
725 |
663 |
|
Greater Manchester**** |
*** |
10,903 |
7,807 |
6,144 |
5,969 |
4,587 |
3,714 |
|
Gwent |
2,503 |
2,163 |
1,698 |
1,569 |
980 |
1,172 |
930 |
|
Hampshire |
8,267 |
6,533 |
5,091 |
6,058 |
3,192 |
2,295 |
1,711 |
|
Hertfordshire |
3,948 |
1,809 |
2,478 |
1,776 |
1,753 |
1,632 |
1,558 |
|
Humberside |
5,751 |
2,067 |
2,732 |
2,008 |
1,460 |
1,300 |
1,409 |
|
Kent |
7,505 |
6,409 |
4,412 |
4,602 |
3,752 |
2,976 |
2,900 |
|
Lancashire |
9,779 |
5,476 |
4,158 |
3,201 |
2,887 |
3,074 |
2,775 |
|
Leicestershire |
3,322 |
2,685 |
2,252 |
1,670 |
1,553 |
1,103 |
806 |
|
Lincolnshire |
*** |
1,911 |
1,290 |
1,027 |
990 |
1,117 |
913 |
|
Merseyside |
10,197 |
8,421 |
6,213 |
5,066 |
5,295 |
3,273 |
2,570 |
|
Metropolitan |
46,079 |
39,901 |
30,155 |
26,442 |
23,402 |
22,328 |
20,387 |
|
Norfolk |
2,510 |
2,201 |
1,316 |
1,384 |
1,561 |
1,602 |
1,261 |
|
North Wales |
3,420 |
2,596 |
2,022 |
1,780 |
1,554 |
1,577 |
1,532 |
|
North Yorkshire |
4,525 |
3,644 |
1,152 |
1,556 |
1,445 |
1,317 |
1,291 |
|
Northamptonshire |
2,594 |
2,177 |
1,660 |
1,289 |
1,270 |
1,115 |
885 |
|
Northumbria |
11,407 |
9,280 |
6,983 |
5,990 |
5,280 |
3,829 |
2,838 |
|
Nottinghamshire |
5,743 |
4,640 |
2,989 |
2,189 |
2,319 |
1,840 |
1,466 |
|
South Wales |
5,659 |
2,551 |
3,166 |
3,245 |
2,978 |
2,854 |
2,499 |
|
South Yorkshire |
6,235 |
5,094 |
3,344 |
2,693 |
2,285 |
1,812 |
1,396 |
|
Staffordshire |
4,163 |
3,316 |
2,491 |
1,741 |
1,418 |
1,808 |
1,350 |
|
Suffolk**** |
3,716 |
1,684 |
1,388 |
1,118 |
1,030 |
1,011 |
858 |
|
Surrey |
1,955 |
1,974 |
1,483 |
1,524 |
1,624 |
1,338 |
889 |
|
Sussex |
5,779 |
4,564 |
4,423 |
4,018 |
3,220 |
2,679 |
2,185 |
|
Thames Valley |
8,012 |
6,539 |
2,531** |
3,808 |
3,225 |
2,872 |
2,446 |
|
Warwickshire |
1,419 |
1,050 |
673 |
623 |
563 |
619 |
597 |
|
West
Mercia |
5,491 |
3,442 |
2,664 |
1,758 |
1,418 |
1,354 |
1,247 |
|
West
Midlands |
14,387 |
10,487 |
7,484 |
7,123 |
5,803 |
5,438 |
5,244 |
|
West
Yorkshire |
12,947 |
10,600 |
7,492 |
6,148 |
5,417 |
5,045 |
4,663 |
|
Wiltshire |
2,262 |
1,997 |
1,054 |
1,122 |
991 |
1,048 |
953 |
|
TOTAL |
245,763 |
202,961 |
150,062 |
131,718 |
115,444 |
101,678 |
87,525 |
* FoI requests were not submitted for
data in 2010 and 2011.
** Limited data – some data was lost when a new system was
introduced.
*** Police force did not supply data.
**** Revised data provided.
***** Data limited to the period from 1 January 2016 to 20
February 2016 as crime recording system was changed.
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