Dramatic fall in youth convictions and cautions in West Sussex

Young people in West Sussex are significantly less likely to be cautioned or convicted for a first offence than they were ten years ago.

Changes in police policy and an overall fall in crime has seen a 91% drop in the number of youngsters entering the criminal justice system, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice.

In the 2006/07 financial year, 1,518 children aged between 10 and 17 were convicted or cautioned by police for the first time, but by 2016/17 there were just 134.

The data is taken from a national police database and records a young person’s first caution or conviction but does not include repeat offenders.

The MoJ also calculates a rate of first time offenders to allow comparison between different police forces and local authorities.

In West Sussex, police cautioned or convicted 182 children for every 100,000 in the area less than the England and Wales average of 312.

According to a 2016 report on first-time entrants by the Ministry of Justice, police forces have shifted their focus away from low-level crimes which are more likely to be committed by children.

“In 2002, a target was introduced to increase the number and reduce the gap between the numbers of crimes recorded by the police and those for which a perpetrator is identified”, the report found.

“There is some evidence that, in order to meet this target, the police focused their attention on young people who had committed non-serious offences, as they can be easier than adults to apprehend.”