Nottinghamshire Police make 'giant strides' in reducing child arrests

Arrests of children by Nottinghamshire Police have been reduced by 85 per cent over the last decade.
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The new figures show a step forward for the Howard League for Penal Reform campaign.

Since 2010, the Howard League has been working with police forces across England and Wales to reduce child arrests, helping to ensure that hundreds of thousands of boys and girls do not have their lives blighted by a criminal record.

Nottinghamshire Police made 841 child arrests in 2020. This compares to 1,220 the year before and 5,743 in 2010, the year that the Howard League campaign began.

Child arrests by Nottinghamshire Police reduced by 85 per cent in a decadeChild arrests by Nottinghamshire Police reduced by 85 per cent in a decade
Child arrests by Nottinghamshire Police reduced by 85 per cent in a decade

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Every child deserves the chance to grow and fulfil their potential, and we must do all we can to ensure that they are not held back by a criminal record.

“A decade of success for the Howard League’s programme to reduce child arrests has given hundreds of thousands of children a brighter future. Nottinghamshire Police has made giant strides, diverting resources to tackling serious crime instead of arresting children unnecessarily, and this approach will help to make our communities safer.

“As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, and as police forces recruit thousands more officers, the challenge now is to build on this success and reduce arrests still further.

"Keeping up the momentum will enable even more children to thrive.”

As in previous years, the Howard League asked police forces to provide figures broken down by age, gender and ethnicity.