THE NUMBER of children arrested in Wales since 2010 has almost halved, and Dyfed-Powys Police has seen the biggest reduction with a drop of 73%.
The figures have been released by a penal reform charity, Howard League.
In total, 6,228 child arrests were made in 2015, which is a reduction of 44% since 2010.
The charity has said that limiting child arrests will prevent a ‘downward spiral into crime and custody’.
Dyfed-Powys Police made 625 arrests of children in 2015, compared to 2,307 in 2010.
The Chief Executive of the charity, Frances Crook, said: “I applaud Dyfed-Powys Police for their success.
“It is particularly gratifying that, across England and Wales, 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.”
She added that the decrease could be attributed to a better use of resources, the removal of national targets, improved staff training and support from communities.
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