Figures obtained by The Howard League for Penal Reform show that police made 87,525 arrests of children aged 17 and under in 2016, down 13.9 per cent on the 2015 figure of 101,678.
The latest figure represents a drop of 64 per cent from the level in 2010, when 245,763 arrests were recorded.
The statistics collected show that every police force in England and Wales made fewer child arrests in 2016 than in 2010. All but four forces brought down their number of arrests by more than half.
There were 703 arrests of primary-age children (10- and 11-year-olds) in 2016, a reduction of 18 per cent from the previous year.
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