POLICE failures to take child protection seriously could lead to a repeat of the horrifying abuse scandals seen in Rotherham and Oxford, the chief inspector of schools has claimed.

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw said that there are "serious weaknesses" in how a string of forces deal with the issue in a damning letter to police watchdog chief Sir Tom Winsor.

He wrote: "My worry is that if chief constables fail to give this issue sufficient priority, we may see a repeat of the sort of catastrophic failings we saw a few years ago in places like Rotherham, Oxford and elsewhere."

A report found that in Rotherham 1,400 children were systematically sexually abused between 1997 and 2013; while in Oxford more than 300 were violently abused and tortured over more than 15 years.

Accusing some forces of failing "to take their child protection responsibilities seriously", Sir Michael said that more than half of Ofsted's 42 inspections of local authority children's services in 2015/16 revealed "serious weaknesses" in police contributions to protecting youngsters.

There were cases where forces were not quick enough in telling social workers when children went missing, Sir Michael said, and officers had failed to attend key meetings about child protection, or visits with social workers.

In a number of forces there were delays in flagging up domestic abuse cases to the local council. Sir Michael said that the "most serious concerns" were raised about Cleveland Police's support for children's services in Stockton-on-Tees. In one case, the Ofsted inspector questioned a police decision to close a case even though "there was clear evidence that the children concerned had suffered non-accidental injuries". The investigation was re-opened after the local council intervened when Ofsted raised concerns.

In his reply, Sir Tom, who leads watchdog Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, said the body is currently assessing how well police deal with vulnerable victims and child safety.

He said: "We will persist in ensuring that the police understand their very high public duty most efficiently and effectively to use their powers, and discharge their responsibilities, in connection with the protection of children."

The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for child protection, Chief Constable Simon Bailey said he will raise Sir Michael's concerns with all chief officers. He said: "I am confident that the police service has significantly improved our response to protecting children in recent years. That does not mean that there aren't challenges at times in forces in terms of resourcing and working with our partners; our partners in social care, education and health face these challenges too.

"It is therefore vitally important that we continue to work together so that the children are given adequate protection and support. Strengthening these relationships is the only way we'll prevent future abuse."

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable of Cleveland Police Simon Nickless said the number of officers dealing with child abuse and sex offenders had been boosted in the past year. He went on: "Cleveland Police takes safeguarding extremely seriously and works closely with all local authorities and other safeguarding agencies on a daily basis to protect children from harm. Protecting the vulnerable and recognising risk in our communities is our priority."

The common assault case that was incorrectly closed was re-opened the same day, Mr Nickless said, and added: "The decision to close the investigation was contrary to force procedures and the force does not believe this reflects general standards of investigation."