RECENT NSPCC figures have revealed that a total of 247 child sex crimes were reported to Gwent Police in 2011.

This high figure has prompted the charity to appeal for action to drastically reduce the number.

Of the total victims within the Gwent police force area last year, 38 had not reached secondary school age and six were five and under. The majority of offences, 209, were reported against 11 to 17 year-olds.

The figures from all four police forces in Wales cover various sex crimes including rape, incest and abuse of children through prostitution and pornography and reveal that more than one in three of all sex crimes are committed against children. At 222, the number of girl victims was eight times higher than boys – 25.

The statistics also reveal that 13 of the under-18s in the Gwent police force area had already been victims of sex offences.

For the last four years the NSPCC has obtained figures through a Freedom of Information request from all 43 police forces in England and Wales and during this period there has been no significant decrease in reported offences.

The number of convictions has risen by around one quarter from 1,747 in 2007 to 2,135 in 2010

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Watts said: "We take a proactive multi-agency approach to protect children from harm.

"The introduction of the Child Sex Offender disclosure scheme represented a major development in our ability to safeguard children. It empowers parents, carers and immediate guardians to take active steps to protect their children."