MORE than 2,000 reports of children going missing were made in Croydon last year.
Of these, 267 went missing more than once and one disappeared 63 times between 2010 and 2012.
"Every time a child goes missing, they are putting themselves at risk," said DCI Clare Mullenger, the officer in charge of Croydon's public protection.
The issue has been given renewed focus following a high profile case in Rochdale in which 18 separate agencies were criticised for failing to protect several girls who were abused after going missing.
Ofsted has said children who go missing face a number of risks, from sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol abuse to being the victim or perpetrator of crime.
The Met is currently setting up a special Sexual Exploitation Command while the council has created the multi-agency safeguarding hub for children (MASH) which brings together social services, the police and charities.
"We have been working hard with the council and other agencies to tackle the problem and protect missing children, especially those girls at risk of sexual exploitation," DCI Mullenger said.
"There are 90,000 children in Croydon and a high number of looked-after children housed here from other boroughs because it's cheaper.
"One thing we find is children running away to go back to where they have been sent from."
The majority of children who go missing in Croydon are looked after by foster parents and between the ages of 16 and 17. Asylum-seeking children who arrive in the UK unaccompanied by family or friends are also the most likely to go missing.
"The older children are often reported missing because they do not tell their carers or families where they are," added DCI Mullenger.
"Then there is the chance they are drinking alcohol, taking drugs and in places that are not safe.
"There is concern that children get involved in crime, gangs and sexual exploitation."
A recent report into child sexual exploitation found that missing children had been trafficked, subject to violence, abduction and even female genital mutilation.
It also found that only a quarter of children who run away from home every year are reported missing, with children in care three times more likely to go missing.
Domestic violence, bullying and a high number of different foster parents or care homes were all large factors pushing children away from home, according to Ofsted.
Sandra Cornwall, who deals with children at risk of sexual exploitation and missing children for Croydon Council, said the borough was ahead of others in London in dealing with the problem.
"We do have more missing children than other areas because of the number of children in care and unaccompanied minors but we are also ahead in our protection strategies."
The council officer said many of the reports made were about children in the wrong place rather than missing but insisted the council was looking after those in risk.
Croydon is one of the six UK hotspots where the NSPCC runs its Protect and Respect project which supports children who go missing frequently, trafficked children, asylum seekers and children in care who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
