The number of girls being arrested by Hampshire Police has dropped by 40 per cent in three years, new figures reveal today (March 19).
Officers made 1,307 arrests of girls aged 17 and younger during 2011 – a significant drop compared to 2008, when 2,163 arrests were recorded, the Howard League for Penal Reform show.
It comes after the Howard League launched a campaign aimed at keeping as many children as possible out of the criminal justice system.
Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “It is encouraging to see that Hampshire Police are is making fewer arrests of girls than they were in 2008, thanks in part to our effective campaigning.
“A significant fall in the number of children entering the justice system is good news for everyone striving to reduce crime and saves the taxpayer untold millions.
“Our evidence shows that the police were arresting girls completely unnecessarily when they were out partying, often with the mistaken intention of protecting them. Now the police are handing out flip-flops and helping the girls home, a much more sensible response.
“The challenge for police services now is to maintain this trend of arresting fewer children. Only last week the Commons Justice Committee reported that too many children were being criminalised for trivial incidents, so it is remarkable that, although only 50 girls in the whole country are considered to have committed such serious crimes to merit custody, police carried out more than 34,000 arrests during 2011.”
Police arrest almost 100 girls a day across England and Wales, but the overall number has almost halved in three years. More than 34,000 arrests were recorded by police in 2011, compared with more than 62,000 in 2008.
Girls’ arrest figures for Hampshire Police
2008: 2,163
2009: 2,150
2010: 1,748
2011: 1,307