Most published statistics about crime concern only people who have been charged
with, cautioned for or convicted of notifiable offences. As many people again
are arrested and brought to police stations in connection with types of offence
which are not notifiable. A recent study of mentally disordered people in London
police stations afforded the opportunity to obtain information on everyone
arrested and brought to those stations. The purpose of this paper is to describe
this population in terms of the ethnic origin of detainees.
