Children as young as eight strip-searched by police

Children arsenic young arsenic 8 are being strip-searched by the police, according to a study showing "deeply concerning" and "widespread" failures.

It besides recovered achromatic children were up to six times much apt to beryllium searched than the wide kid population.

The study by Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza showed 2,847 children were strip-searched successful England and Wales from 2018 to mid-2022.

The National Police Chiefs' Council volition "carefully consider" the findings.

The Runnymede Trust, a contention equality charity, said: "Our children are being failed by the authorities institutions determination to support them."

More than fractional (52%) of the searches took spot without an due big - a ineligible requirement, but erstwhile determination is superior hazard to a child's beingness oregon welfare.

And 51% of the searches led to nary further action.

Dame Rachel asked each constabulary forces to supply strip-search information aft the Child Q ungraded came to airy successful March past year.

The lawsuit of the 15-year-old - strip-searched astatine schoolhouse by 2 pistillate Metropolitan Police officers portion connected her play and without an due big contiguous - drew nationalist outrage.

It prompted Dame Rachel to petition figures from Scotland Yard, which she recovered truthful concerning that she past asked each forces for comparable data.

Some 39 of 43 forces responded to her latest request. The figures screen searches nether stop-and-search powers and screen a play of four-and-a-half years.

They amusement that strip-searching of children is occurring crossed England and Wales, and uncover grounds of "deeply concerning practice", Dame Rachel said.

Her bureau identified searches astatine 27 forces which rise concerns astir children's safeguarding, oregon bespeak determination has been a breach of the statutory codification of practice. It has asked for these to beryllium referred to the constabulary watchdog.

Of the astir 3,000 searches connected children, astir a 4th (24%) took spot connected children aged 10-15. The youngest kid was conscionable 8 years old.

The immense bulk of children strip-searched were boys (95%) portion 5% of specified searches were carried retired connected girls.

Black boys accounted for much than a 3rd (37%) of strip-searches,while Dame Rachel said it was "utterly unacceptable" that achromatic children were six times much apt to beryllium strip-searched compared with the nationalist kid population.

White children were astir fractional arsenic apt to beryllium strip-searched erstwhile compared with the nationalist kid population.

The guidelines astir strip-searches request to beryllium strengthened urgently, she said, "to guarantee constabulary forces travel these properly, and to robustly situation a civilization that has allowed wide failures to spell unchallenged".

She continued: "The findings of this study marque for disturbing, but sadly not surprising, reading.

"This data, combined with that which I received from the Metropolitan Police past year, is the clearest denotation yet that what happened to Child Q was acold from an isolated incident."

Acknowledging the perchance traumatic interaction connected children, Dame Rachel said parents should beryllium informed successful advance, and strip-searches should not instrumentality spot successful schools.

The findings amusement that successful 45% of cases the determination of the strip-searches was not recorded.

But she said the information besides showed determination "were immoderate places that are truly not acceptable for a strip-search" including amusement parks and takeaway outlets. Fourteen strip-searches took spot successful constabulary vehicles oregon schools.

Police guidelines accidental that strip-searches nether halt and hunt tin instrumentality spot astatine a adjacent constabulary presumption oregon different adjacent locations which are retired of nationalist presumption - but not a constabulary vehicle.

Other recommendations successful the study see that the Home Office should necessitate forces to study annually connected the strip-searching of children nether halt and search, and that parents oregon guardians should beryllium informed earlier a portion oregon intimate hunt of a child.

Separate Home Office figures, published past November, show 3,133 children aged 10-17 were strip-searched successful the twelvemonth to March 2022. This fig relates to children who were searched portion successful custody.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford, from the NPCC, said it was captious each constabulary interactions were handled sensitively, and immoderate hunt of a kid should beryllium carried retired successful enactment with the instrumentality and constabulary policy.

He said the NPCC was moving with different policing bodies to "implement affirmative alteration wherever it is required", adding: "We volition cautiously see the findings from the children's commissioner arsenic portion of this work".

The Home Office said cipher should beryllium strip-searched due to the fact that of their contention and ethnicity, and that determination were safeguards to forestall this.

A spokesperson said: "We instrumentality the concerns raised astir children's safeguarding highly seriously.

"The Independent Office for Police Conduct is presently investigating respective high-profile incidents of strip-search of children and it is captious that we await their findings."