Racial disparity in Welsh arrests revealed by new data

New Wales-only data have been published which confirm the extent of racial disparities in arrest rates by police forces in Wales.

The latest data released by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre were covered by Wales Online, and show that during 2020/21, there were 53 arrests for every 1,000 Black people compared to 12 for every 1,000 white people. The situation, according to the data, is even more disproportionate than that in England. The arrest rate for Black people per 1,000 in the year 2020/21 was 53 for Wales and 29 for England.

The data were generated by Freedom of Information requests, and are now publicly available on a Wales basis for the first time.

Dr Robert Jones, a lecturer and researcher at Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre, commented:

“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.

“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.”

Previously released data on sentencing, custody and stop and search have displayed similar evidence of racial disparity within the criminal justice system and wider society.