THE Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner has said she is concerned the force is “falling over itself” to avoid arresting under-18s.

PCC Katy Bourne grilled police chiefs at a meeting after crime figures revealed Sussex Police has made fewer arrests despite increases in reports of crimes overall.

Quizzing her assistant chief constables, she asked: “I understand why we don’t want to criminalise young children and I do applaud that.

“However, do you feel there is a slight pendulum swing almost to the point where we will do nothing because it’s a child?”

The question came after Home Office figures revealed there has been a four per cent decrease in arrests - despite an eight per cent increase in reported crime in Sussex.

Assistant chief constable Nick May, who identified the fall in children arrests as a key reason for the drop in arrests, said the force was “pleased” with the reduction of under-18s arrests

He said they were ensuring youngsters who commit crime were treated as children first and criminals second.

He added: “There are other ways of dealing with children in a more appropriate way which longer term may be more affective.

“I absolutely do not say children cannot be arrested.

“If it is appropriate then that is still an option open to officers and it is important that we accept we have an enforcement role and we need to remember that.”

Across England and Wales, arrest figures released by the Home Office show that 62,400 fewer people were arrested across 2017 to 2018 despite reports increasing by 13 per cent.

Sussex Police also blamed the decrease in arrests on their revamped Voluntary Attendance Suites where police can speak to potential offenders without arrests.

The assistant chief constable added: “Arrest is not always the appropriate way to progress an investigation and voluntary attendance can be a more appropriate and more efficient way to deal with people who have been accused of crime.

“Of course, some people who have been accused of crime will not have done it and will not be charged so dealing with them in that way may be an appropriate way to deal with them.”

Nationally police-recorded crime has increased by almost 10 per cent, fuelled by rises in homicides, knife-related offences, robberies and theft.

Official figures show forces in England and Wales registered a total of 5.6 million offences in the year to June.

Statisticians said the increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police does not necessarily mean the level of crime has increased.