Crime and Justice
Experiences of crime and contact with the criminal justice system can have a huge impact on young people's lives. There is data about which crimes are experienced and those detected by the police and who is prosecuted for offending. Local plans are available about how local police and criminal justice agencies seek to reduce crime and support those caught up in the criminal justice system.
Data on youth crime and justice is primarily collected by police forces, youth offending services and the courts. It tells you more about reported crime, and how the criminal justice system responds, than about young people’s experiences of crime. At a local level, there is much less data on who is involved or affected by crime, either as perpetrators or as victims.
Key places to start
You can download data showing you how many 10-17 year-olds were cautioned or sentenced for more or less serious offences in the area covered by your Youth Offending Team; this is the local authority team which work with young people that get into trouble with the law.
You can download very large tables listing all the crimes recorded by your local police force, right down to individual streets - including offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.
Find the most commonly reported crimes in your local area, information on stop and search and other police activities on police.uk.
Things to consider
Most crime and justice statistics relate to the activities of the police, courts, prisons and probation - in other words, reported crimes, cautions, arrests and sentences. There are major differences between the levels and types of crime reported to the police and those experienced by young people. There is much less data on young people’s involvement with crime, either as perpetrators or as victims.
Local statistics are compiled by the UK’s 157 Youth Offending Teams (one per local authority) and 43 police forces. Some of these cover very large areas and populations, and it can be difficult to drill down to your local area.
Example
Clinton has seen an increase in violent incidents around his youth club. However, according to police.uk website the main recorded crimes in the local area are anti-social behaviour and public disorder. Clinton uses the local area profile to identify three stop-and-search hotspots, and downloads data from website that shows that at these hotspots most 10-17 year-olds are being searched for drugs. On the Public Health Outcomes Framework he finds that local rates of hospital admissions for violence and injuries to young people are much higher than the regional average. Clinton hopes to use this data to persuade local police officers to refocus away from lower-level crime and support his work on violence reduction.
Other sources of information
The National Crime Survey for England and Wales provides the best picture of people’s own experiences and perceptions of crime. In April 2020 this changed to a telephone survey because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a result it no longer includes interviews with 10-15 year-olds. You can download the March 2020 dataset online. Table A9 shows the number of crimes experienced by 10-15 year-olds and trends over the previous 10 years. These are national figures and there is no data on local areas.
The Youth Endowment Fund publishes briefings on youth crime statistics and other useful material. Their report Building Safer Neighbourhoods (PDF) includes maps and data showing local areas with the highest levels of crime and violence affecting young people.
Data sources
What this is:
Every local police force area has a Police and Crime Commissioner - an elected official responsible for overseeing both police forces and fire services. They care commonly known as PCC. Since 2017 some PCCs take on responsibility for fire and rescue services too.
Every two years they must publish a Police and Crime Plan. The plan can be a good source of data and information on youth offending, knife crime, county lines and related topics.
The PCC may also publish annual reports, inspection reports or “deep dives” into youth crime. Some PCCs, such as London’s Mayor’s Office for Police & Crime, maintain their own dashboards and other ways of exploring local police statistics.
Who it includes:
PCCs cover the whole population in the area.
Where it covers:
Police force area.
When updated:
Every 2 years.
How to use:
The Police and Crime Plan for your local area may be available as a published report / pdf, or as a website-based interactive document. It will generally be published on your Police and Crime Commissioner websites. Search for the name of your local area and “Police and Crime Commissioner”.
The plan is likely to have a section about children and young people. Search for “youth” or other terms if you can’t find the right information.
Bear in mind:
Police & Crime Commissioners have access to a wide range of data, including specially commissioned research. However, it may not always be clear where the figures they use come from or how recent they are. If possible, check the references in the document as these may help you find the original data source.
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners website has an interactive map where you can find your local PCC. Note that in Greater London, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire - the police governance falls under the remit of the elected Mayor, who appoints a Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing.
Every police force area also has a Police and Crime Panels with representative from each local authority in the respective area, plus at least two independent members, which are co-opted by the panel. They scrutinise the PCC and their Police and Crime Plan. Some have separate websites where they publish information on their view of the Police and Crime Plan.
What this is:
Local authorities often publish community safety strategies, research on young people’s experiences or factors that may increase their exposure to crime or justice, and other useful sources of information, especially in places where youth crime or criminal exploitation are of high concern.
Who it includes:
Varies by local authority
Where it covers:
Local authority
When updated:
Varies by local authority, but probably at least every five years.
How to use:
Look for relevant strategies, reports or priorities on your local authority’s website.
Search for “crime”, “community safety”, “youth offending” or “youth justice” if you can’t find what you need.
Bear in mind:
Local authorities have access to a wide range of data, including specially commissioned research. However, it may not always be clear where the figures they use come from or how recent they are. If possible, check the references in the document as these may help you find the original data source.
What this is:
Numbers of 10-17 year-olds cautioned or sentenced, number of cautions and sentences to 10-17 year-olds (by type of sentence). High quality statistics based on police and court reporting.
Who it includes:
10-17 year-olds, breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity.
Where it covers:
Region, police force area, Youth Offending Team area.
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
You can download a set of customisable tables which give you the option to filter and sort the data by different characteristics. follow the link to the most recent version and download the local pivot tables.
On the same page you can find the annual Youth Justice Statistics report which gives a good overview at national level, including breakdowns by age, gender and ethnicity.
Bear in mind:
This data only relates to offences where a caution or sentence was issued.
What this is:
Number of proven offences committed by 10-17 year-olds. Good quality statistics based on police and court reporting.
Who it includes:
10-17 year-olds
Where it covers:
Region, police force area, Youth Offending Team area
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
You can download a set of customisable tables which give you the option to filter and sort the data by different characteristics. Follow the link to the most recent version and download the local pivot tables.
On the same page you can find the annual Youth Justice Statistics report which gives a good overview at national level, including breakdowns by age, gender and ethnicity.
Bear in mind:
This data only relates to offences where a caution or sentence was issued.
What this is:
Number of crimes recorded by each police force, % change from previous year and rate per 1,000 population by offence group, firearms, knife and sharp instrument, fraud and anti-social behaviour offences. Good quality statistics based on police reporting.
Who it includes:
Every police force shares information.
Where it covers:
Police force areas.
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
You can download a table showing totals and rates for each category of offence by police force area.
Bear in mind:
This data only relates to offences where a caution or sentence was issued.
Due to reliance on operational records, the Office for National Statistics does not classify police reporting as “national statistics”, the most robust form of official data.
See moreWhat this is:
Most commonly reported crimes and maps of local hotspots (areas with highest rates of reported crime and highest rates of stop and search). Good quality statistics based on police reporting.
Who it includes:
Total population.
Where it covers:
Local authority and Wards.
When updated:
Monthly.
How to use:
This link provides Local Authority level data, including comparisons with other areas.
Bear in mind:
This data only relates to crimes and activities recorded by the police. It does not tell you anything about was involved.
Due to reliance on operational records, the Office for National Statistics does not classify police reporting as “national statistics”, the most robust form of official data.
You can find more granular information on the police.uk website - enter your postcode or area name into the Find Your Local Area search bar.
See moreWhat this is:
All recorded crimes and police stop and searches. Good quality statistics based on police reporting.
Who it includes:
Breakdown by age, gender and ethnicity (stop and search only).
Where it covers:
Police force areas, Lower Super Output Areas, streets
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
This will give you a spreadsheet containing all reported incidents (crimes and stop and searches) for that police force in the most recent year. Each incident includes data on the Lower Super Output Area and GPS coordinates, so it’s possible to filter by location right down to individual streets.
Bear in mind:
This data only relates to crimes and activities recorded by the police. It does not tell you anything about who was involved either as victims or alleged perpetrators, although the stop and search data does include ethnicity.
Due to reliance on operational records, the Office for National Statistics does not classify police reporting as “national statistics”, the most robust form of official data.
See moreWhat this is:
Rate of 10-17 year-olds receiving their first conviction or youth caution per 100,000 young people. High quality data based on police and court reporting.
Who it includes:
10-17 year-olds.
Where it covers:
Local authorities.
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
You can find this figure under the heading Community Safety.
Bear in mind:
This shows you the number of young people becoming involved with the criminal justice system for the first time that year. It does not tell you about who these young people are, or about rates of reoffending or ongoing experience of criminal justice.
What this is:
Number of children and young people in secure children’s homes, secure training centres and young offender institutions. High quality data based on youth offending and prison service reporting.
Who it includes:
10-18 year-olds, breakdown by age, gender, ethnicity.
Where it covers:
National, regional.
When updated:
Monthly.
How to use:
You can download and explore the latest custody data.
Bear in mind:
You can only get breakdowns by characteristics of young people at a national level, and geographic breakdowns are only at regional level.
What this is:
Number of children and young people admitted to hospital as a result of unintentional or deliberate injuries. High quality data based on NHS reporting.
Who it includes:
0-24 year-olds, breakdown by age.
Where it covers:
National, regional, local authority
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
You can find the most recent data and compare it with neighbouring areas and regional and national averages alongside other public health indicators. Indicator C11 covers injuries to children and young people.
Bear in mind:
This data covers all kinds of injuries resulting in hospitalisation - most of which are not caused deliberately. Even among 15-19 year-olds, accidental injury and deliberate self-harm are far more common causes of injury than assault or violence.
What this is:
Number of people admitted to hospital as a result of violence, including sexual violence. High quality data based on NHS reporting.
Who it includes:
Total population.
Where it covers:
National, regional, local authority.
When updated:
Annually.
How to use:
You can find the most recent data and compare it with neighbouring areas and regional and national averages here. Indicator B12 covers violent crime.
Bear in mind:
This data is for the whole population. It does not allow you to find out about violence specifically affecting young people.