Nearly a quarter of criminals caught by police in North Wales last year had no previous offences, new figures show.

Law reform charity JUSTICE called for better access to mental health and addiction services to “help reverse the worrying trend of increases in those entering the criminal justice system for the first time”.

Ministry of Justice figures show North Wales Police dealt with 1,220 first-time offenders last year - including 127 under 18s. 1,059 were convicted. The rest were cautioned.

First-time offenders accounted for 23% of all criminals in North Wales – slightly down from 24% the year before.

JUSTICE deputy legal director Tyrone Steele said: “Entering the criminal justice system is life-changing in all the wrong ways.

“Providing and strengthening real routes away from crime – from better access to mental health and addiction services, to housing and employment – would help reverse the worrying trend of increases in those entering the criminal justice system for the first time, including children.”

Across England and Wales, around 63,700 first-time offenders were convicted in 2023, representing 22% of all criminals, similar to the year before, but up from 14% in 2013.

A further 21,900 received cautions last year.

In North Wales, 17% of those who were convicted for the first time received a community sentence, while 6% were sent to prison.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of social justice charity Nacro, said: “Much of the conversation on reducing crime focuses on prison and increasing sentencing despite the evidence showing that increasing the length of a prison sentences is not an effective deterrent.

“Even a short sentence can mean people lose their jobs, homes and custody of their children, making it harder to build a crime-free life afterwards.

“And the evidence shows that short prison sentences are less effective at preventing further crime than sentences served in the community.”

In North Wales, first-time offenders convicted of an indictable offence were most often convicted for violence against the person – 23%. In contrast, the most common offence for those with a criminal past was theft, at 32%.

The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice were both approached for comment.