Crime and Justice

According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016 in 2015/16, around one-fifth of people aged 16 and over in England and Wales believed that they were either ‘very likely’ or ‘fairly likely’ to be a victim of crime in the next year. in 2015/16, a smaller proportion of White people reported a fear of crime (18%) compared with Asian people (27%), Black people (26%), and those from the Other ethnic group (27%).

The Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2023 notes that in the year ending March 2023, 16% of people aged 16 and over said they had been the victim of a crime at least once in the last year. People from mixed ethnic backgrounds (24%) were more likely than average to be victims of crime out of all ethnic groups.

According to the Homicide in England and Wales: year ending March 2023 in the year ending March 2023, 71.4% of homicide victims (where ethnicity was known) were from the white ethnic group and 16.9% were from the black ethnic group. 81.7% of the UK population were white and 4.0% were black at the time of the 2021 Census.

According to data on Hate crime, England and Wales, Year ending March 2024 across all police forces, 77,690 racially or religiously aggravated hate crimes were recorded in the year ending March 2024, and the ethnicity of the victims was known for 42,441 hate crimes. 31.3% of victims of racially or religiously aggravated hate crime (where ethnicity was known) were Asian, 30.6% were White, and 23.1% were Black. For comparison, White people made up 81.7% of the population of England and Wales at the 2021 Census – Asian people made up 9.3%, and Black people made up 4.0%.

Criminal justice statistics show that among juveniles sentenced in 2017, the Black ethnic group had the highest percentage of offenders sent to a young offenders institution. Black offenders accounted for 10.4% of all offenders sentenced for indictable offences, Asian offenders 6.0%, offenders with Mixed ethnicity 3.0%, and Other (including Chinese) offenders 1.3%. Out of all ethnic groups, the Asian group had the highest percentage of offenders given an immediate custodial sentence (at 35.7%), the Black group had the highest percentage given a fine (20.6%), and the White group had the highest percentage given a conditional discharge (9.7%)

Data from Stop and search and arrests: England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2023 highlights that in the year ending 31 March 2023, there were 529,474 stop and searches in England and Wales (not including vehicle searches). There were 8.9 stop and searches for every 1,000 people. there were 24.5 stop and searches for every 1,000 black people, and 5.9 for every 1,000 white people.

Police and Criminal Justice Workforce and Pay

From the Report on Police Workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2024, on 31 March 2024, there were 147,746 ‘full-time equivalent’ police officers in England and Wales, and ethnicity was known for 143,686 of them (97.3%). 91.6% of police officers were White (where ethnicity was known). By comparison, 80.7% of working-age people (16 to 64 year olds) in England and Wales were White at the time of the 2021 Census. 3.8% of police officers were Asian – by comparison, 10.1% of working-age people were Asian. 6.5% of senior officers (chief inspector or above) were from the Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups combined, compared with 2.8% in 2007. Between 2007 and 2024, the percentage of police officers from each of the Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups went up – the biggest increase was in the Asian ethnic group, from 1.5% to 3.8%.

According to Judicial diversity statistics for England and Wales, on 1 April 2024, 86.1% of all judges and non-legal tribunal members were white, and 8.2% were Asian (out of those whose ethnicity was known). At the time of the 2021 Census, 80.7% of working age people were white, 10.1% were Asian, 4.4% were black, 2.5% had mixed ethnicity, and 2.3% were from the ‘other’ ethnic group. On 1 April 2024, 89.6% of court judges and 87.0% of tribunal judges were white. Asian people made up 5.3% of court judges and 7.4% of tribunal judges – the second highest percentages after white people. Black people made up 1.3% of court judges and 1.7% of tribunal judges. 81.6% of non-legal tribunal members were white, and 12.0% were Asian.

From the HMPPS annual staff equalities report for England and Wales, in March 2023, 89.9% of prison officers were white, out of those whose ethnicity was known. 4.4% of prison officers were Black, 2.6% had mixed ethnicity, 2.5% were Asian, and 0.6% were from the ‘other’ ethnic group. At the time of the 2021 Census, 80.7% of working age people were white, 10.1% were Asian, 4.4% were black, 2.5% had mixed ethnicity, and 2.3% were from the ‘other’ ethnic group. From 2017 to 2023, the percentage of prison officers went up for all ethnic groups except for people from white ethnic group (which went down from 94.2% to 89.9%) and for the ‘other’ ethnic group (which remained the same at 0.6%). In 2023, the percentage of prison officers whose ethnicity was unknown was 16.6%.

The Civil Service Statistics: 2024 for the UK, notes that in 2024, the median annual pay for all civil servants was £33,980 – this figure includes pay-related allowances (such as regional and skills allowances) but not bonuses. Civil servants from the ‘other’ ethnic group had the highest median annual pay (£35,620) out of all ethnic groups. Asian civil servants had the lowest (£32,690). Among junior grades (AA, AO and EO), Black civil servants had among the highest median annual pay out of all ethnic groups. Out of all grades, the biggest difference in pay between ethnic groups was at Senior Civil Service level (the most senior grades) – median pay was highest for Asian civil servants (£91,970) and lowest for those in the mixed ethnic group (£85,790). Out of all regions, the biggest difference in pay between ethnic groups was in London – median pay was highest for white civil servants (£47,700) and lowest for black civil servants (£35,060)