WLGA Briefing WALES: Regional Profile Police and Crime Commissioner Candidates September 2012 Lee Owens 029 2046 8621 – [email protected] Wales Overview Wales covers 20,700 square kilometres (sq km), is the third biggest of the UK countries and English regions, and covers 9 per cent of the total area of the UK. It has over 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) of coastline, including its offshore islands. The largest island Anglesey is the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is generally mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia. The population density for Wales in mid-2010 was 145 people per sq km. Two-thirds of people in Wales, slightly under 2 million, live in urban areas concentrated mostly in the south east of the country. In terms of population Wales is the third smallest country or region with 3 million in mid 2010. The population of Wales increased between 2001 and 2010 by 3.3 per cent, compared with an increase of 5.3 per cent for the UK over the same period. People aged 65 and over made up 18 per cent of the population, while those aged 16 and under made up 18.2 per cent of the population in 2010. This compares with UK figures of 16.6 per cent and 18.6 per cent respectively. Life expectancy at birth for the three-year period 2008 to 2010 was 77.5 years for males and 81.7 years for females compared with 78.1 and 82.1 years respectively for the UK. Almost 16 per cent of adults aged 16 to 64 had disabilities that limited their daily activities or work in the year ending March 2011, the highest proportion of all countries of the UK and English regions. In 2009 3.6 per cent of the population in Wales was from a ‘non-white background’. The highest number was 13.6 per cent in Cardiff and the lowest 0.6 percent in Anglesey. In 2011, 22.4 per cent of households in Wales were workless. This compares with 18.9 per cent of households in the United Kingdom. In 2011, 18.6 per cent of children in Wales lived in a workless household compared with 15.9 per cent in the United Kingdom. The overall percentage of lone parent families is higher in Wales at 9.1 per cent than in the UK overall 8.4 per cent. The highest percentages of lone parent households were found in Blaenau Gwent 12.2 per cent and Newport 11.2 per cent. In 2009 the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) average scores in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were similar to each other for reading, maths and science. Wales scored the lowest of the four home nations in each subject. Gross disposable household income in Wales was the fourth lowest of the UK countries and English regions at £13,800 per head in 2010. The employment rate stood at 68.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2012, compared with the UK rate of 70.5 per cent. In April 2011, the median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees on adult rates who were resident in Wales was £460, which compares with £491 in Scotland and £451 in Northern Ireland. (Sourced from ONS) InfoBaseCymru InfoBaseCymru is a freely available national information system that displays data about Wales from local authority level to a local area (lower super output area) level. It is an online interactive information service, which provides ready access to relevant local data; promotes consistent data use; enables efficient and effective information sharing; and facilitates an increased understanding of local circumstances and local needs. Hosting information gathered from a variety of national sources, InfoBaseCymru enables the user via interactive maps, tables, and reports, accessibility to an extensive variety of information. This information gives users such as the public, organisations, and collaborative bodies across Wales, access to a range of themes including: people; economy; education; health; housing; environment; transport; deprivation and community safety. www.infobasecymru.net Crime Recorded crime by offence group, by Police Force area in Wales, 2011 / 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 2012 Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary Offe nce s against vehicles1 % change in recorded crime 2010-11Other to 2011-12 theft offences Wales England Dyfed- Fraud and forgery Criminal damage Dyfed-Powys Gwent -6% Drug offences North Wales South Wales Other offences -4% Powys -3% Gwent North Wales South 3% -15% Wales -7% % of people who have experienced / witnessed anti-social behaviour 35% 33% 30% 28% 23% 16% Wales England Dyfed-Powys Gwent North Wales South Wales % saying police do an excellent / good job 66% 62% 61% 60% 57% 53% Wales England Dyfed-Powys Gwent North Wales South Wales Unemployment and benefits Out of work benefit claimants - % of those aged 16-64 Statistical Bulletin 74/2012 The percentage claiming out of work benefits in Wales in February 2012 was 15.7%. The UK figure was 12.5% Young people not in education, employment or training in Wales, age 16-18 Wales and England Young people not in education, employment or training in Wales, age 16-18 by region Statistical Bulletin 63/2012 Health Almost 16 per cent of adults aged 16 to 64 had disabilities that limited their daily activities or work in the year ending March 2011, the highest proportion of all countries of the UK and English regions. Over the five years 2006 to 2010 there has been an increase in alcohol related deaths of 14 per cent in males and 16.4 per cent in females in Wales. There were 152 drug misuse related deaths in Wales in 2010. This represents an increase of 15.29 per cent from the previous year. Comparing the number of deaths in 2006 to 2010, the total number of drug related deaths have increased by 70.8 per cent. From 2006 to 2010, admissions for mental and behavioural disorders due to opioids have increased by 53.2 per cent. Alcohol attributable hospital admission rates per 100,00 population 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Wales North Wales Dyfed-Powys Gwent South Wales Health Maps Wales 2010-11 Police force areas and local authorities It will be crucial that police and crime commissioners and local authorities work effectively together to obtain better outcomes for the communities they serve. A list of councils in each police force area is below. In addition police and crime panels will be established to hold to account and assist the police and crime commissioner to deliver their role. In each area there will be a lead council who will be responsible for hosting the panel and this is also indicated in the table below. North Wales Dyfed Powys Gwent South Wales Conwy Carmarthenshire Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Denbighshire Ceredigion Caerphilly Cardiff Gwynedd Pembrokeshire Monmouthshire Merthyr Tydfil Isle of Anglesey Powys Newport Neath Port Talbot Flintshire Torfaen Rhondda Cynon Taf Wrexham Swansea Vale of Glamorgan Prospective PCC candidates For the latest list of candidates putting themselves forward please visit the Police Foundation website: www.police-foundation.org.uk .