THE NUMBER of child arrests in Warwickshire has dropped by nearly 70 per cent over the past seven years.
In 2010 more than 1,400 youngsters were arrested by Warwickshire Police, but by 2017 that figure dropped to around 450.
Officers say the drop is due to having a ‘proportionate response’ and not relying on arrest when dealing with children. There is also a focus on restorative justice, working with both victims and offenders to try and move forward and prevent re-offending.
Assistant Chief Cons Alex Franklin-Smith said: “These figures continue to reflect the positive steps being taken to ensure the best possible outcome for young people who come to the attention of the police.
“When allegations involve a young person we must strike a careful balance between arriving at the right outcome for the victim while doing all we can to ensure the child has an opportunity to show remorse, learn from his or her mistakes and, with the appropriate support, move forward in a constructive way.
“Within Warwickshire Police we actively encourage our officers to use their professional judgement, to not simply rely on arrests and to see past the obvious when responding to an incident or crime involving a child or young person. This enables us to ensure that the response is appropriate and proportionate for each given situation.”
