London Police Admit 'Traumatic' Strip Searches On 650 Children, With 58% Of Them Being Black

Over 600 children were subjected to "intrusive and traumatic" strip searches by the UK's Metropolitan Police over the period of two years, with 58% of them being Black, a report from the Children's Commissioner of England revealed on Monday.

Between 2018 and 2020, police stopped and conducted strip searches on 650 children, with an average of one per day in 2020. The children were as young as 10 years old, and a quarter of the minors searched were aged 15 or under, Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said in a press statement issued in London.

It said 58% of the boys who were strip-searched were Black. Over half of all boys strip-searched were Black in each of the years that data was provided and in 2018 this figure was 75%. Black young men aged 16-17 accounted for 42% of all strip searches.

The report shed light on the Met Police's discriminatory policies, in which the majority of children targeted by the force were either Black or of other ethnic minorities, with the majority being innocent of police suspicions and assumptions.

It also found that in most cases, children were found to be innocent.

"A police power that is as intrusive and traumatic for children as a strip search must be treated with the utmost care and responsibility. It must also be accompanied by a robust and transparent system of scrutiny to protect and safeguard vulnerable children. Practice in this area is not currently consistent across England," it added.

Last week, the Campaign Against Arms Trade and the Network for Police Monitoring issued a report, condemning the rising hyper-militarization of UK police forces in recent years. It warned of threats to freedom of speech, association and protest, as well as the rights of migrants and asylum seekers in search of a better life in the UK.

The Children's Commissioner of England's investigation revealed severe flaws in child safety across the country. Whereas the UK's main police force should operate as a guardian for children, particularly vulnerable children, it was found that the police force was an influential factor in increasing children's vulnerabilities and insecurities.

"I do not accept that such pronounced ethnic disproportionality should exist in the application of such an intrusive practice involving children. I do consider that the police should be able to readily account for the circumstances and appropriateness of every occasion that could put children at risk, because every child has the right to expect to be kept safe when interacting with the police," she added.

In response to the damaging revelations, the commission has put forth a number of recommendations for the Met Police to follow to ensure such traumas are not repeated.

These include prioritizing child safety in national guidance, improving transparency and scrutiny, expanding training opportunities, and expanding the role of safeguarding partnerships with local communities and authorities.​​​​​​​​​​ -