The number of children arrested in the county has fallen by 59 per cent in the last five years according to recent figures.

Figures published in a campaign by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal during 2015 Hertfordshire Constabulary made 1,632 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under.

The statistics show police has made significant progress since 2010 when it made 3,948 child arrests.

The campaign by the Howard League charity and police aimed to keep as many boys and girls out of the criminal justice system as possible.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “I applaud Hertfordshire Constabulary for their success in reducing child arrests. The Howard League is proud to have played its part in a significant change to the policing and life chances of children.

“It is particularly gratifying that, across England and Wales, the reduction in child arrests matches exactly the reduction in custody for children, and it is no coincidence.

"We have stemmed the flow of children into the justice system and the consequential downward spiral into crime and custody."

Across England and Wales, police made 102,666 arrests of boys and girls aged 17 and under during 2015 – a 58 per cent reduction in five years.

Arrests of girls are falling at a faster rate than arrests of boys. Police recorded a 63 per cent drop in girls’ arrests between 2010 and 2015, and the number of girls in prison decreased by the same proportion.

There were 874 arrests of primary-age children, aged 10 and 11, in 2015, a reduction of 19 per cent from the previous year.