Cuts to police budgets are behind a two-thirds fall in the number of children arrested in Kent over the last eight years, according to a councillor and community volunteer.

Kent Police apprehended 64% fewer young people last year compared to 2010, according to figures obtained by crime campaigning organisation the Howard League for Penal Reform.

The charity branded the figures “a phenomenal achievement by the police and Howard League,” but some people believe the dwindling numbers reflect deep police budget cuts.

A Freedom of Information request to Kent Police shows there were 2,683 under 18s arrested last year, down from 7,505 in 2010, the charity said.

Charity boss Frances Crook said: “This is the seventh year in a row that we have seen a significant reduction in the number of child arrests across England and Wales, and Kent Police’s positive approach has contributed to that transformation.

“It is a phenomenal achievement by the police and the Howard League, and it means that tens of thousands of children will have a brighter future without their life chances being blighted by unnecessary police contact and criminal records.”

A councillor has questioned the meaning behind the figures, saying fewer people are reporting crime after some 500 officers and 1,000 staff were slashed to tackle a budget reduction in 2011.

Jacqui Mead (Lab), town councillor for Folkestone East ward, one of the most deprived areas in the county, said: “I see it in my ward, I see it everywhere - people don’t report the minor crimes children commit because they know the police don’t have the resources.

“Also, I can’t remember the last time I saw a police officer patrolling the street, can you?

“Visible police officers give people reassurance and provide a deterrent for petty criminals, it helps to prevent an area becoming too vandalised and run down.

“When an area is covered in unintelligible graffiti it badly affects the mental health of the people who live there.”

Peter Philips, who works as Folkestone town sprucer, a role where he cleans the town funded by donations, believes vandalism and graffiti is increasing.

He pointed out the Victorian Leas Lift was vandalised last week for the third time in a year.

He said: “We must be clearing about 20 graffiti tags a week now, we have to dedicate a lot of time to it.

“It’s on the up, and the amount of empty drugs bags we find in parks is phenomenal.

“I think police patrols could help with that – but what can you do?”

Across England and Wales, the total number of child arrests has reduced by 68% – from almost 250,000 in 2010 to 79,012 last year.

A statement released by the Howard League for Penal Reform added: "Keeping children out of the criminal justice system helps prevent crime.

"Academic research has shown that the more contact a child has with the system, the more entrenched they are likely to become, which increases offending rates.

"The number of children in prison in England and Wales was reduced by more than 60% between 2010 and 2017, as fewer boys and girls were drawn into the penal system."