Youth Justice Board attacked for delaying youth crime data on 'purdah' grounds

The government has been accused of delaying the publication of potentially embarrassing crime figures until after the general election – in contravention of its own rules, The Independent has reported.

The paper was told by the Youth Justice Board that statistics showing the number of crimes committed by under-18s would not be published until the autumn, nearly six months later than normal. The data in question covers youth crime in 2008/9 – the figures for 2007/8 were published in March 2009.

A board official told The Independent that the delay was because of the general election and the rules on “purdah” that prevent civil servants from releasing overtly party political information.

The paper pointed out that the purdah period only starts once the election is called. It also cited “senior youth justice sources” expressing surprise at the use of purdah and claiming that the publication of the data was not a political act.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: “The general election has not been called yet. So it should be business as usual for government agencies. And if they refuse to publish key information like this, then people are bound to think there’s something to hide.”

Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, described the situation as “bizarre”. She told The Independent: “There is an election happening soon, but it hasn’t been called yet and as far as I know no one has gone into purdah. The more informed we are, the more we can make good decisions.”