FIGURES released today show arrests of children have fallen by 60 per cent in the last five years.

The decrease follows a concerted effort by police and a campaign by the Howard League for Penal Reform to keep as many boys and girls as possible out of the criminal justice system.

The charity's figures show that last year Dorset Police arrested 916 boys and girls aged 17 and under, compared to 2,310 in 2010.

Despite the positive trend both in Dorset and nationally, with a 58 per cent reduction in five years across the country, the Howard League says there is still work to be done and many forces have reviewed their arrest procedures and policies after the charity’s positive engagement with them.

Every police force in England and Wales made fewer child arrests in 2015 than in 2010, with 34 bringing down their number of child arrests by more than half.

Although the longer term trend is positive, last year's figure for Dorset does, however, show an increase on the number of children arrested in 2014, when 770 youngsters were arrested.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “I applaud the police for their success in reducing child arrests. The Howard League is proud to have played its part in a significant change to the policing and life chances of children.

“It is particularly gratifying that the reduction in child arrests matches exactly the reduction in custody for children, and it is no coincidence. We have stemmed the flow of children into the justice system and the consequential downward spiral into crime and custody.

“It is a little disappointing that 13 forces, including Dorset Police, have not maintained the momentum in the last year. We are looking forward to working with them to address this challenge.”

The statistics have been published in a Howard League briefing, Child arrests in England and Wales 2015, which shows how reducing the number of children entering the system has stemmed the flow of children into custody.

The figures show arrests of girls are falling at a faster rate than arrests of boys. Police recorded a 63 per cent drop in girls’ arrests between 2010 and 2015, and the number of girls in prison decreased by the same proportion.

The briefing states that the welcome fall in arrests can be attributed to better use of resources to solve problems, the removal of national targets, improved staff training, and support from communities.