Ministry of Justice statistics published today show that 1,105 under-18s were being held in custody as of April 2014, a drop of 72 on the March figure of 1,177 - a 6.1 per cent drop in the space of a month.
The latest monthly figure is the lowest level since current recording methods began 14 years ago and represents a 63.3 per cent fall on the same month six years ago (April 2008), when there were 3,012 under-18s in custody.
But, despite the overall drop, the proportion of young people in custody who are from black or ethnic minority (BME) backgrounds is continuing to rise.
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