Police arrest more than 100 youngsters each week
Police in Kent are arresting children
more than 100 times each week, according to figures released
today.
Statistics released by the Howard
League for Penal Reform show there were, on average, 123 arrests of
children in the county per week last year - or 6,409 in total.
But that is a drop of more than a
third on 2008, when 10,157 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 or
under were recorded.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal
Reform, said: "It is very pleasing to see that Kent Police is
arresting fewer children than it has in the past. I hope this trend
continues.
"An arrest can blight a life and lead to a criminal record for just being naughty" – Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform
"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."
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.
No-one has yet been available to
comment at Kent Police.
30/11/12
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