GWENT Police had the highest rate of missing children reports of any force in England and Wales last year.

There were 3,559 incidents recorded in the force area during 2015/16, up 21 per cent on the previous year, according to new figures from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

This was slightly higher than the 20 per cent rise for England and Wales as a whole.

The rise is due in part to improvements in police recording practices and a decision to combine missing and ‘absent’ data in the figures.

The calls in England and Wales related to 131,429 separate individuals, equal to 359 people going missing every day.

In Wales, police dealt with an average of 50 missing people reports a day during 2015/16, with around 60 per cent of them involving children.

Overall, Gwent Police dealt with 4,978 calls about missing and absent people.

Close to four-fifths of cases across England and Wales were resolved inside 24 hours, and just two per cent of people were missing for more than a week.

“This is the most comprehensive missing persons data report that we have published. We are working continuously with police forces to improve recording practices and computer systems," said Joe Apps, head of the NCA’s UK Missing Persons Bureau.

“New police guidance, due for publication this autumn, will provide clarity around definitions and risk categories and should lead to further improvements.”

The NCA’s UK Missing Persons Bureau is the only UK law enforcement body focused exclusively on missing people. The Bureau serves police forces and the public by providing expertise to assist investigations and helping resolve cases.

It is also the central point of contact for international missing person and unidentified body cases.

An NSPCC Cymru spokesman said that while it is worrying to see a rise in missing children reported to police in Wales, it is encouraging that the figures are attributed to better recording and safeguarding measures.

“It is important that police work with partner agencies to help protect children from harm and support those who have run away from home," they said.

“We know from calls to our Childline service that children go missing for many reasons including bullying, abuse or being unhappy at home."

Detective Superintendent Leanne Brustad from Gwent Police said: “Gwent Police takes all reports of missing people very seriously and work with families and partners to bring about a resolution as quickly as possible. This can be a very stressful and sensitive time for all involved.

“Due to the improvements in the way we record these instances and the wider decision to combine missing people data with that of ‘absent’ data, the figures issued this year are not a like for like comparison on the previous year. Having said all that, we are not experiencing any significant trends that differ from 2014/15.”