The controversial amendment to the Children Act restricts parents' recourse to the defence of "reasonable chastisement".
Detective chief inspector Ian Angus, in charge of the Metropolitan Police's Partnership and Prevention Unit, part of the Child Abuse Investigation Command, said: "We've investigated assaults for many years and have had to go with the flow regarding various interpretations in the law of violence against the person.
"We always have some problems where the injury is hidden." Mary Marsh, NSPCC director and chief executive, said the new law was "flawed". She claimed there was a risk that parents could choose to hit children on parts of their body where injury is less visible.
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