New data shows that some ethnic minorities are being disproportionately represented when it comes to arrests. The data, which was acquired through freedom of information requests (FoIs), shows that there are huge disparities in Wales and that these disparities are actually greater than they are in England.
This comes as the Welsh Government is developing an anti-racist Wales strategy and amid ongoing concerns following two high profile deaths following police contact in Wales.
Dr Robert Jones, a lecturer and criminologist at Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre, gathered the data. He said: “These latest data reinforce the existing evidence which shows that individuals from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background are over-represented within the Welsh criminal justice system. This includes evidence that individuals from non-white backgrounds are more likely to be stopped and searched by police, sentenced to imprisonment, and receive longer prison terms, than white people in Wales."
Read next: 'Disgraceful' stop and search statistics for Welsh police forces released
What does the data show?
This is the first time that arrests based on ethnicity per 1,000 of population has been accessed. It shows that Black and mixed race people are more likely to be arrested compared to white counter parts. In the year 2020/21, there were 53 arrests for every 1,000 Black people compared to 12 white people. It is important to bear in mind that these figures are arrests, not convictions and the person arrested hasn't necessarily committed a crime.
Another issue that came out in the data was the fact that the arrest rate for Black people was significantly higher in Wales than it was in England. For instance the arrest rate for Black people per 100,000 in the year 2020/21 was 53 for Wales and 29 for England. Over the last five years the arrest rate for Black people has been constantly falling in England whereas in Wales it has, until last year, generally trended upwards.
Dr Jones said: “The data further underline the need for greater scrutiny of the Welsh criminal justice system and for Welsh-only data to be made more freely available. While it is important to recognise that the problem of systemic racism extends beyond the parameters of the Welsh criminal justice system, the evidence shows that disproportionate outcomes for non-white people within that system continue to be unaddressed. It is hoped that the information we have uncovered can contribute to the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and its ongoing work on criminal justice in Wales.”
Commenting on the figures a Welsh Government spokesman said: “Policing is a non-devolved matter and remains the responsibility of the Home Office. We will continue to work closely with the Home Office and the four Welsh police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners to deliver the fairer Wales we all want to see.
“A key goal of our an anti-racist Wales action plan is to work with the criminal justice system to better understand and address race disproportionality and its causes, including in the youth justice system. We’ve also outlined that a core component of a devolved justice system would be to continue to work for an anti-racist Wales, striving to eradicate the unequal experiences and outcomes between people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds within the criminal justice system. Our collective aim is that everyone who comes into contact with the criminal justice system will receive equal treatment and equal outcomes.”
In March this year WalesOnline reported on data showing that people of certain races in Wales are far more likely to be targeted by the police using stop and search powers. This was branded as “bleak” and “disgraceful” by race advocacy groups.
Of every 1,000 white people living in Wales, eight were stopped and searched. This compares to a rate of 56 per 1,000 Black people, 16 per 1,000 Asian people, and 28 per 1,000 people who identify as being from a Mixed ethnic background (the ethnicity categories are based on self-identification). The gap in the stop and search rate between white and Black people was slightly wider in Wales (eight to 56) than it was in England (seven to 51).
Disproportionate targeting of ethnic minority groups using stop and search powers has been shown to do serious harm to people’s trust in the police. This in terms makes policing harder because there is a lack of public support.
Policing is not devolved and is the responsibility of the UK Government. WalesOnline approached the Welsh police forces and the UK Government for comment.
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