Youth Justice News
| DOI | 10.1177/1473225416631057 |
| Published date | 01 April 2016 |
| Author | Tim Bateman |
| Date | 01 April 2016 |
| Subject Matter | Legal Commentary |
Youth Justice
2016, Vol. 16(1) 82 –91
© The Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/1473225416631057
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Youth Justice News
Compiled by Tim Bateman
Child Arrests in England and Wales Fall by 55 Per Cent in
4 Years
Research published by the Howard League for Penal Reform in November 2015 indicates
that 112,037 children in England and Wales were arrested by the police during 2014. This
figure, derived from freedom of information requests to individual police services, repre-
sents a 55 per cent reduction compared with the 245,763 child arrests recorded through
the same procedure in 2010. The decline in arrests of girls has been slightly faster at 58
per cent than that for boys.
Over the 4-year period, there was a fall in arrests of children in all police forces, but
there is considerable differentiation between areas, with reductions ranging from 19 per
cent in Surrey to almost 75 per cent in Humberside. Moreover, in the most recent year,
2013–2014, while the large majority of areas showed a decline (the largest at 69% in
Greater Manchester), six forces – Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Merseyside, Norfolk,
Nottinghamshire and Surrey – reported an increase. However, it seems clear that at least
some of the variation reflects differences in baselines. For instance, while the reduction
over the past 4 years has been considerably larger in Humberside than in Surrey, child
arrests nonetheless accounted for a smaller proportion of total arrests for all ages in the
latter area (at 4.6%) than in the former (6.4%), suggesting that until recently child arrests
were, relative to those of adults, more prevalent in Humberside.
Irrespective of such differentials, the general pattern is unmistakeable. The substantial
decline in child arrests is consistent with broader victimisation data from the Crime Survey
for England and Wales which shows an overall decline in crime over the relevant period.
However, since the fall in total crime is considerably more muted than the reduction in
child arrests, it is unlikely to provide a full explanation. At least as significant are changes
in police practice subsequent to the introduction of a government target, established in
2008, to reduce the number of children entering the youth justice system for the first time.
This shift in practice is consolidated in a new National Strategy for the policing of Children
Corresponding author:
Tim Bateman, Department of Applied Social Studies, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, LUTON LU1 3JU, UK.
Email: tim.bateman@beds.ac.uk
631057YJJ0010.1177/1473225416631057Youth JusticeBateman
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