West Midlands Police data shows that arrests of 10-17 year-olds, from March to September this year, were down 74% compared to the same period in 2019.
A published freedom of information request has revealed that the number of youth arrests has considerably dropped in 2020.
The West Midlands Police data shows that only 1,885 arrests of those aged 10 to 17 were made between March and September 2020. This is remarkable when compared to the 7,167 made in the same time frame in 2019.
This information could be seen as unsurprising considering the country was in lockdown for much of the 2020 period. However, it will come as some consolation for the Birmingham Youth Offending Service (YOS).
This week the YOS came under fire due to 11% of its under-16s not being in Education. A report, by HM Inspectorate of Probation, urged the YOS to improve its systems ‘at pace’.
What do you think this data suggests? Is its skewed too much by lockdown to be relevant, or is it a good sign for the youth of the West Midlands?
Comment below with your views.
