Black children eight times more likely to be strip searched by police, report says

Black children eight times more likely to be strip searched by police, report says8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAlys DaviesGetty ImagesBlack children are eight times more likely to be strip searched by police than their white peers in England and Wales, a new report by the Children's Commissioner says.While the report outlines that the number of children strip searched has more than halved in four years, it warns that ethnic disparities persist and calls into question the use of force in some cases. The report by Dame Rachel de Souza's office also found that black children were almost five times as likely to be subjected to force during stop and search than white counterparts. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said that updates to official guidance on stop and search, which are out for public consultation, would ensure a "child-centred approach" was taken by police officers.Using data from the first half of 2024, the report found that an estimated total of 377 strip searches took place in the whole of that year - down 56% on 854 searches recorded in 2020."But there are still far too many strip searches happening," Dame Rachel said.The report, published on Wednesday, highlighted that some strip searches are still being conducted in public view, with 26 recorded between July 2023 and June 2024. It added that, in the same period, 22 were conducted without an appropriate adult present, something Dame Rachel said "should never be happening".Ethnic disparities were also apparent in the strip search of children, with black children more likely to be strip searched than children of other ethnicities, the report said."Although only 6% of the population of 10-17 year olds in the 2021 census were black, 35% of the children strip searched were of black ethnicity," it said.For the first time, the report also looked at the use of force during stop and search.It found that, while the vast majority of...