POLICE in Herefordshire say they are working hard to continue reducing the number of child arrests after figures revealed more than 1,000 youngsters were arrested in the county over a three-year period.

The figures, released to the Hereford Times in a Freedom of Information request, showed that between October 11, 2013, and October 11, 2016, a total number of 1,049 youths were arrested for offences ranging from assault to arson.

From October to the end of the year in 2013, there were 89 arrests, for the whole of 2014 the figure was 369 and dropped to 362 in 2015. This year's figure – up to October – is 229.

The youngest was a 10-year-old arrested in 2015 on suspicion of criminal damage to a property valued under £5,000 which resulted in no further action.

However, a 12-year-old arrested this year for possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place was charged and detained for court.

Some of the most serious offences which involved a young person included a 13-year-old arrested for the rape of a girl under the age of 13, for which no further action was taken, as well as robbery and wounding with intent.

Chief Inspector Adam Thomas said: "West Mercia Police continues to work hard, alongside our partner agencies, to do all we can to keep the number of child arrests down and that is very much the case here in Herefordshire.

"We recognise the potentially damaging consequences the arrest of a child can have, and as such, a number of measures have been introduced to ensure children are only arrested where there are no alternative options available."

He said in the area served by West Mercia Police there had been a 75 per cent reduction of child arrests from the beginning of 2010 until the end of last year.

"No matter how old the people involved are, we encourage our officers to use their professional judgment and discretion so the most appropriate and proportionate response is given to each incident," he said.

"It is necessary however, to balance the need to find the best outcome for victims while also ensuring children are not unnecessarily criminalised, have the opportunity to show remorse and learn from their mistakes.

"Restorative Justice and Community Resolution outcomes are among the tools we use to help with this. This places an emphasis on working with victims and offenders to find alternative solutions.

"However if children do commit serious offences, the public would expect us to act promptly to secure any evidence, and on occasions, an arrest will be necessary.

"Where a child is arrested, we do our utmost to ensure they are not detained for a longer period than is absolutely necessary."