Greater Manchester Police arrests children 209 times a week

Crime scene cordoned off at the Infirmary

Greater Manchester Police arrested children 209 times a week on average last year, figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today.

New research by the charity shows officers made 10,903 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under during 2011.

Across England and Wales, police made more than 209,000 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under last year. This number includes 2,117 arrests of children who were aged 10 or 11, meaning that on average six primary school children were arrested every day.

More than one million child arrests have been made in England and Wales since 2008, but the figures show a downward trend. The number of arrests nationwide fell by a third between 2008 and 2011.

Girls account for about a fifth of arrests each year, 207,808 between 2008 and 2011. However, 24,055 fewer girls were arrested in 2011 than in 2008 – a welcome fall of 38 per cent.

The Howard League has been campaigning for a reduction in child arrests. The campaign’s success and the way forward will be discussed at the charity’s Policing and Children Conference in Birmingham on Thursday 6 December 2012.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Children who get into trouble are more often than not just being challenging teenagers and how we respond to this nuisance behaviour could make a difference for the rest of their lives. An arrest can blight a life and lead to a criminal record for just being naughty. The positive change in policing children will release resources to deal with real crimes.

“Only a handful of children are involved in more serious incidents and they usually suffer from neglect, abuse or mental health issues. A commitment to public safety means treating them as vulnerable children and making sure they get the help they need to mature into law-abiding citizens.

“Under the last government, police success was measured by the number of arrests and children proved a seductive way to make up the numbers. The fact that the number of child arrests has fallen by a third since 2008 is a testament to a change of culture, more focused on public safety than targets.”

Speakers at the Policing and Children Conference will include:

Jacqui Cheer QPM, Temporary Chief Constable of Cleveland Police

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform

John Drew, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board

Kate Green MP, Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System
David Hanson MP, Shadow Minister for Policing

Commander Christine Jones, Metropolitan Police

Paul McKeever, Chair of the Police Federation

Professor Jo Phoenix, Durham University

Drusilla Sharpling, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary

Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions