THE number of children being arrested in Dorset has dropped by nearly 80 per cent in the last decade, new figures reveal.

Data released by the Howard League for Penal Reform, a charity campaigning for fewer people in prison, has revealed the number of children arrested by Dorset Police last year was 485, compared to 2,310 in 2010 - a reduction of 79 per cent.

Nationally, the number of arrests of children aged 17 and under reduced from 245,763 in 2010 to 63,272 in 2020.

Dorset Police bosses are 'reassured' to see the steady decline in child arrests in the county and say that they have used restorative justice conferences to help encourage children to learn from their actions instead of arresting them.

Bosses have also emphasised that the reduction in arrests 'does not mean that we are not dealing with young people's offending behaviour' and they will continue to arrest children when it is appropriate.

Detective Chief Superintendent Pete Little, head of crime and criminal justice, said: "Dorset Police has made huge strides in reducing the numbers of children coming into custody and it is reassuring to see the child arrest rates have reduced significantly since 2010.

"Many children are now diverted from custody to voluntary attendance, which in the majority of circumstances is the most appropriate arena to interview a child. This is in line with the national children centred policing action plan.

"The reduction in arrests does not mean that we are not dealing with these young people’s offending behaviour. Together with Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service we have managed many restorative justice conferences in Dorset where young offenders met with the victims of their crimes and were held personally to account for and learn from their actions.

"We continue to monitor and evaluate our approach to dealing with young offenders. We recognise that many of them are potentially vulnerable and the Youth Offending Teams and partners are involved right from the outset, with extensive background checks being made to ensure that the appropriate support is given to vulnerable offenders.

"Dorset Police and Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service are very proud of the reductions we have achieved over the years in the numbers of children and young people being brought into custody. For some young offenders it will remain entirely appropriate to arrest them, but where we can address young people’s offending without bringing them into custody we will.

"There are a number of areas where we experience regular anti-social behaviour involving young people throughout the county and there have been incidents where it was necessary to make an arrest. We are currently working with our partners to prevent this type of activity and the need to arrest any children involved.

"As a partnership we will continue to tackle the reasons behind children taking part in criminality. Identifying the root causes of what leads children and young people to get into trouble is central to our development of preventative approach.

"We would all much rather put effort into stopping young people getting into trouble in the first place rather than placing more of them into the justice system."