37,000 Arrests of Women Each Year Result in no Further Action

London: Black women remain twice as likely to be arrested as white women. The unnecessary arrests of thousands of women each year is a drain on police resources and a misuse of public funds, according to a new report by MPs and peers this week. The APPG on Women in the Penal System has found that an estimated 37,000 arrests of women each year result in no further action. The APPG obtained data from 5 police forces and the Home Office and questions why so many of these arrests happen in the first place. The report follows the APPG’s inquiry into reducing arrests of women in England and Wales. It finds that one police force made 9 arrests of women and girls in a single day of which 6 resulted in no further action and another force made 17 arrests of which 13 resulted in no further action.

It is often the case that no-further-action arrests are in relation to incidents in the home where female victims have lashed out, the report says. The briefing warns against the inappropriate use of arrest against women who have been the victims of crime or exhibiting challenging behaviour. An example provided by one of the five police forces involved a woman being arrested for assault who showed signs of being a suicide risk. The briefing recommends police forces review cases to improve practices and learn lessons, particularly relating to how officers are deployed to incidents involving women.

Read more:  Kyran Kanda, Justice Gap, https://is.gd/lq8jGX