THE number of children arrested by Thames Valley Police has fallen by 60 per cent in the last four years, figures reveal.

Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform found that 3,225 ten to 17-year-olds were held in 2014 – down from 8,012 in 2010.

The charity said it was due to its long-running programme to keep children out of the criminal justice system.

Every police service in England and Wales made fewer arrests in 2014 than in 2010, with some constabularies reducing their numbers by more than 70 per cent.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League, said: “We have worked closely with police forces round the country to stem the flow of children being sucked into the criminal justice system.

“The fantastic success of our programme of work and the police improvement to their practices means thousands of children have not had their life chances blighted. It is for parents and schools to deal with normal childish challenging behaviour, not the police.

“It is to the credit of the police that they have introduced restorative approaches and given frontline officers discretion to make professional decisions.”

The reduction in arrests has led to a fall in the number of children in prison. There were 3,808 children arrested by TVP in 2013; 2,531 in 2012 and 6,539 in 2011.