Number of children arrested in North East drops as police turn to restorative justice

The Howard League for Penal reform has welcomed the drop in youth arrests in the Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary areas

The number of children arrested in the North East has plummeted over eight years.

The Howard League for Penal Reform, which campaigns for changes in the justice system, has praised the region's police forces for "tackling serious crime" instead of "arresting naughty children".

Northumbria Police made 2,136 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under in 2018. This compares to 2,440 in the previous year and 11,407 back in 2010, when the Howard League launched a major campaign to reduce child arrests nationwide.

Meanwhile in Durham, just 830 children were put behind bars last year, compared to 3,658 in 2010.

Across England and Wales, the total number of child arrests has fallen every year, while the number of children in prison has been reduced by 63%. Arrests of primary school-age children also fell, with 383 arrests of 10- and 11-year-olds in 2018, down 38% from the year before.

Officers in Durham and Northumbria say they focus on restorative approaches or work in the community when children do come into contact with police. And campaigners argue this approach makes the streets safer. They say research shows that every contact a child has with the criminal justice system leads to more crime, calling for as many children as possible to be kept out of the system.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Tens of thousands of children can look forward to a brighter future without their lives being blighted by police contact and a criminal record.

“Northumbria Police and other forces up and down the country have diverted resources to tackling serious crime instead of arresting naughty children. This will make communities safer, and the Howard League is proud to have played its part.

“Building on this success and reducing the number of arrests still further would allow even more children to thrive.”

Both of the North East police forces say they welcome the reduction.

A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: “In recent years, we have worked hard with partner agencies such as the Youth Offending service, as we recognise the negative impact on young people’s life chances of being criminalised at an early age.

“In recent years, we have worked hard with partner agencies such as the Youth Offending service, as we recognise the negative impact on young people’s life chances of being criminalised at an early age.

“We encourage the use of Restorative Approaches as a mechanism for resolving low level criminality for young people which is a means by which they can be encouraged to reflect upon their behaviour and to provide some reparation for the victim as an alternative to a criminal justice outcome.

“Often victims achieve much greater satisfaction with this as an approach as well.

“The number of first time entrants into the criminal justice system continues to fall and we feel that this is an absolutely positive thing”.

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police added: “There can be a number of reasons why children come into contact with the police.

“We work together with partners and charities to effectively manage incidents involving young people.

“However, there will be times when a young person will need to be arrested.

“If further action is required, we are committed to working with our partners in the criminal justice system to bring about a positive outcome.

“Where appropriate, we welcome children being rehabilitated through restorative justice, community resolution or diversionary activities.”