Arrests of children by Cheshire Police have fallen by more than a third in the last six years, new figures reveal.
Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform, a charity which campaigns for improvement to prisons, shows that the force made 1,187 arrests of children aged 17 and under last year, down from 1,870 in 2010.
This is a drop of 37 percent. Across England and Wales, the total number of arrests has fallen by 64 percent in six 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 campaign began in 2010 and the impact can be seen in every police force area in the country.
Academic research has shown that keeping children out of the criminal justice system helps prevent crime.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “For the sixth 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.
“Cheshire 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.”
Child arrest figures for Cheshire Police in recent years include: 2010: 1,870; 2011: 1,904; 2012: 1,508; 2013: 1,269.
Nationwide, there were 703 arrests of primary-age children (10 and 11-year-olds) in 2016, a reduction of 18 percent from the previous year.
The statistics have been published in a Howard League briefing, Child arrests in England and Wales 2016.
