The government statistics show the number of offenders aged 10-17 entering the criminal justice system for the first time fell from 94,481 in 2007/08 to 74,033 in 2008/09. The figures follow a 10 per cent reduction last year.
John Drew, chief executive of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) said the fall is mainly down to the good work of youth offending teams (YOTs), children's trusts and police forces across the country.
He said it is essential that funding for prevention work from central government is maintained at a decent level: "We are saying to all the political parties that it's really important to recognise just how significant this money is to fighting youth crime."
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