Nearly a third of criminals caught by police in Surrey 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 Surrey Police dealt with 1,189 first-time offenders last year. This included 93 under 18-s.

Of those, 929 were convicted, while the rest were only cautioned.

It meant first-time offenders accounted for 31% of all criminals in Surrey – slightly down from 33% the year before.

Tyrone Steele, deputy legal director of JUSTICE, 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 to 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. This was similar to the year before, but up significantly from 14% in 2013.

A further 21,900 were handed a caution last year.

In Surrey, 15% of those who were convicted for the first time received a community sentence, while 9% 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 Surrey, both first-time offenders and repeat criminals were most often convicted for drug-related offences, at 34% and 25% respectively.

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