According to the report, 3,368 minors in England and Wales were subjected to strip searches between January 2018 and June 2023, with 457 of those searches occurring during the final 12 months of that time.
In 39% of searches conducted between July 2022 and June 2023, an appropriate adult—typically a parent or guardian—could not be verified to be present, and in 6% of cases, none was.
Black youngsters are now four times more likely to be searched, a minor decrease from the six times higher likelihood they had between 2018 and 22.
But Dame Rachel de Souza’s report shows the number of strip searches – those exposing intimate parts – under stop and search of children in 2022 was 42% lower than in 2020.
“I am particularly reassured by the progress in London by the Metropolitan Police, but today’s research serves as a stark reminder that this is not an isolated issue in the capital,” Dame Rachel said.
“A much higher threshold should be met before a child is subjected to a humiliating and traumatising intimate search.”
She added that there remains “urgent work to be done,” with “too many” strip searches being “unnecessary, unsafe, and underreported.”.
