There are over 33,180 employees in the sector in the West Midlands.  The largest proportion of sector employees in the region is employed in police and law enforcement (68.3%), followed by custodial care (14.8%).

Similar to the England and Wales crime rate (11,308.2 per 100,000), the recorded crime rate for the West Midlands in 2003-2004 was 11,336 recorded crimes per 100,000 population.  Over 8,700 people were sentenced in the region’s Crown Courts and over 29,800 in Magistrates’ Court in 2003.  The prison population is 8,000 in the region, with a capacity of 8,126.

Workforce profile:

• males account for 59.8% of the sector workforce
• 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 proportion of women in the workforce.  The Crown Prosecution Service also has the largest proportion of people from a minority ethnic background (12.9%).

Source: Skills Foresight Regional Factsheet – West Midlands 2005

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

Sub-sector regional information