The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children – strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must be lawful, fair, respectful and without unlawful discrimination. We recognise that any strip search of a child can be traumatic, particularly where safeguards are not followed, and that the welfare and safeguarding of children must remain paramount. There will, however, be occasions where a strip search is necessary to prevent or detect crime, or to protect the individual, police officers or the public.

The report highlights progress, including reductions in the number of strip searches of children and improvements in data transparency, but also raises important concerns about the consistent application of safeguards, repeat searches, racial disproportionality and the use of force.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on strip searches in police custody and strip searches following stop and search as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series: [Police powers and procedures England and Wales. (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales).

The Government is carefully considering the Children’s Commissioner’s findings and recommendations. We are taking forward work to strengthen safeguards for children and vulnerable people, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency for police. This work is being progressed with relevant partners across Government and policing as part of wider consideration of the legal, operational and safeguarding framework for police search powers. We will continue to engage with the Children’s Commissioner, policing partners and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police. The Government has been clear that, where these powers are used, they must be exercised lawfully, proportionately and with proper regard for the welfare and dignity of children and young people.

We are taking forward work on a package of reforms to strengthen the safeguards that apply to strip searching children and young people, including measures intended to improve accountability and oversight, and to support greater clarity and consistency in the use of these powers.

This work is being considered carefully alongside wider reforms relating to strip search, informed by evidence and engagement with key stakeholders, to ensure a more child-centred approach in practice. The Government remains committed to strengthening the framework in this area and we will set out further details in due course.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police. There will be times when it is necessary to use such powers, to prevent and detect crime, protect officers or the public. The Government is clear that they must be exercised fairly, respectfully and lawfully, and particularly for strip-searches on children, with regard for the child’s welfare and dignity.

We recognise concerns about where children may be treated as older than they are because of their size, build or other characteristics. We are considering measures that will aim to reduce any implied emphasis on physical appearance when officers assess age and to support a more objective, child-centred approach in practice.

We recognise that repeat strip searches of children can cause significant harm. The Home Office now collects annual data on the use of strip search in custody and under stop and search. The expansion of the Annual Data Requirement has strengthened the quality and consistency of information collected on strip searches, enabling clearer scrutiny of police practice and better-informed safeguarding assessments. Police forces are now required to provide more detailed and consistent data on searches conducted both in custody and under stop and search powers. We are considering further safeguarding measures for repeat strip searches and to improve data recording and collection so that they can be better identified, scrutinised and reviewed.

We recognise that failures to meet statutory safeguards are unacceptable. As part of our manifesto commitments, we are considering a package of measures to introduce new legal safeguards around strip searching children and young people. These reforms will strengthen safeguarding, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency in the use of these powers.

Police forces are operationally independent, and decisions on the handling of individual cases, including misconduct and complaints, are a matter for the police and the relevant oversight bodies. There is an established framework for referring the most serious matters to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and due process must be followed in each case.

Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police. There will be times when it is necessary to use such powers, to prevent and detect crime, protect officers or the public. The Government is clear that they must be exercised fairly, respectfully and lawfully, and particularly for strip-searches on children, with regard for the child’s welfare and dignity.

We recognise concerns about where children may be treated as older than they are because of their size, build or other characteristics. We are considering measures that will aim to reduce any implied emphasis on physical appearance when officers assess age and to support a more objective, child-centred approach in practice.

We recognise that repeat strip searches of children can cause significant harm. The Home Office now collects annual data on the use of strip search in custody and under stop and search. The expansion of the Annual Data Requirement has strengthened the quality and consistency of information collected on strip searches, enabling clearer scrutiny of police practice and better-informed safeguarding assessments. Police forces are now required to provide more detailed and consistent data on searches conducted both in custody and under stop and search powers. We are considering further safeguarding measures for repeat strip searches and to improve data recording and collection so that they can be better identified, scrutinised and reviewed.

We recognise that failures to meet statutory safeguards are unacceptable. As part of our manifesto commitments, we are considering a package of measures to introduce new legal safeguards around strip searching children and young people. These reforms will strengthen safeguarding, improve accountability and oversight, and provide greater clarity and consistency in the use of these powers.

Police forces are operationally independent, and decisions on the handling of individual cases, including misconduct and complaints, are a matter for the police and the relevant oversight bodies. There is an established framework for referring the most serious matters to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and due process must be followed in each case.