THE number of children arrested by Gwent Police has fallen by 63 per cent in the last six years, according to new figures.

Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform show that the force made 930 arrests of children aged 17 and under last year, down from 2,503 in 2010.

A similar picture is found across England Wales, with the total number of arrests having fallen by 64 per cent in six years, from almost 250,000 in 2010 to 87,525 in 2016.

All but four forces brought down their number of arrests by more than half.

The statistics fall within the formation of the a major Howard League programme, which sees the charity working with police forces to keep as many boys and girls as possible out of the criminal justice system.

Since the campaign was set up in 2010, the total number of arrests has fallen every year.

According to the charity, the more contact a child has with crime, the higher the likelihood that they will reoffend.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, hailed the signifcant reduction as a “tremendous achievement” and reserved special praise for the regional force.

“Gwent Police should be applauded for their positive approach, and the Howard League is proud to have played its part in a transformation that will make our communities safer,” she said.

“By working together, we are ensuring that tens of thousands of children will have a brighter future and not be dragged into a downward spiral of crime and custody.”

Nationwide, there were 703 arrests of primary-age children (10- and 11-year-olds) in 2016, a reduction of 18 per cent from the previous year.

The statistics have been published in a Howard League briefing, ‘Child arrests in England and Wales 2016’, which shows how reducing the number of children entering the system has stemmed the flow of children into custody.

Between 2010 and 2016, the number of children in prison in England and Wales fell by 58 per cent.

As in 2015, arrests of girls are falling at a faster rate than arrests of boys.

Police recorded a 69 per cent drop in girls’ arrests between 2010 and 2016, and the number of girls in penal custody fell by 78 per cent during the same period.

Despite the success, child arrests remain common with one arrested every six minutes in England Wales in 2016.