In the East of England, there are over 29,090 employees in the justice sector.  As across other regions the largest proportion of sector employees in the region is employed in police and law enforcement (67.9%), followed by custodial care (14.7%).

The recorded crime rate for the region in 2003-2004 was 9,322 recorded crimes per 100,000 population, which is significantly lower than the England and Wales crime rate (11,308.2 per 100,000).  Over 5,000 people were sentenced in the Crown Courts and over 19,600 in Magistrates’ Court in 2003.  The prison population is 6,601 in the region, with a capacity of 6,755.

Workforce profile:

• males account for 60.2% of the sector workforce
• 2.5% of the workforce are from a minority ethnic background 
• less than 10% of the workforce are under 25 years (which is mainly due to entry requirement)
• the majority of the workforce are aged 35-44 years

Community justice and the Crown Prosecution Service sub-sectors have the largest proportions of women in the workforce.

Source: Skills Foresight Regional Factsheet – East of England 2005

For more key facts on the justice sub-sector in the region see:

Sub-sector regional information