Between April and September last year, 31,848 young people aged between 10 and 17 received their first reprimand, warning or conviction, a fall of 20.7 per cent from the 40,163 entering the youth justice system during the same period in 2008.
This decrease is only a recent trend, which started three years ago. Prior to 2007, the number of young people entering the youth justice system rose from 39,342 between April to September 2002 to a peak of 51,713 in the same period in 2007.
The latest figures, which have been compiled from the Police National Computer, show decreases between 2008 and 2009 in all English regions.
The West Midlands saw the steepest decline of 32.3 per cent, while the east of England saw a fall of 11.8 per cent over the same period.
A government spokesperson said: "We welcome the decline in the number of young people entering the criminal justice system. However, there are still far too many people whose lives are ruined by youth crime and anti-social behaviour. The government is committed to reducing this further and will set out plans over the coming months."
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