THE number of children arrested by Avon and Somerset Police has fallen by 68 per cent in the past four years.

Research from the Howard League for Penal Reform shows the number of arrests across the force area dropped from 7,255 in 2010 to 2,342 in 2014.

The charity said all police services in England and Wales made fewer arrests in 2014 than in 2010.

Chief superintendent Ian Smith, head of criminal justice at the Avon and Somerset force, said: “There is growing evidence to suggest that children under the age of 18 who are put through the criminal justice system will be at a higher risk of becoming more hardened criminals in their later lives.

“As a result, for the last four years and prior to this we have been working extremely hard with victims of crime, with their consent, our partners, youth offending teams and our officers to use alternative measures to arresting someone under the age of 18, where possible.

Across England and Wales, there were 112,037 arrests during 2014, of which boys accounted for 83 per cent and girls accounted for 17 per cent. The sharp reduction in arrests has also led to a significant fall in the number of children in prison – down by 56 per cent since January 2010.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “It is for parents and schools to deal with normal childish challenging behaviour, not the police.”

Child arrest figures for Avon and Somerset Police: 2010: 7,255; 2011: 5,608; 2012: 4,321; 2013: 2,929; 2014: 2,342.