Falling numbers of child strip searches ‘mask’ ongoing safeguarding failures, says Children’s Commissioner

She says this raises “serious concerns” about the impact of being repeatedly strip searched and missed opportunities to safeguard vulnerable children.

The new report from Dame Rachel de Souza confirms that between January 2018 and June 2024 almost 3,400 strip searches were conducted on children – with the youngest child just eight. Of these searches, 362 happened between July 2023 and June 2024.

Racial disparities also continue in the use of strip searching, worsening for black children who were more likely to be strip searched and have force by police used against them

The report is the fourth in the series investigating the use of strip searching powers by police forces in England and Wales on children, examining the disproportionately and manners of searches – following the case of Child Q in Hackney in December 2020.

For the first time, the Commissioner’s report reveals that 68 strip searches, 30 per cent, were of children who had previously been subjected to a strip search by police.

Additionally, Dame Rachel has examined the use of force as part of police stop and search powers. She found that force was used in nearly one in five (17 per cent) of stop and searches on children – with tactics including handcuffs, firearms and tasers – and yet no further action was the most common outcome (43 per cent) when force was applied.

Black children were over-represented in the use of force and were more likely to have their size, gender or build cited as justification.

Dame Rachel said: “Since Child Q’s shocking case came to light, I have used my statutory powers to investigate the strip searching of children by police, and while there have been promising signs of progress in the reduction of overall numbers, as well as how searches are carried out and recorded, this progress is masking the fact that too many are still unnecessary, unsafe and underreported.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that, as a practice, strip searching is an intrusive and traumatic experience and should only ever be used as a last resort when there is an immediate risk of serious harm. Too many children are being let down by systemic failures and treated as adults while they are still children – with black children most consistently and disproportionately subjected to these searches, and having force used against them based on their ‘size, gender or build’.

“The insufficient justification for many of these searches will only erode children’s trust in the police, which is essential for ensuring their safety. A much higher threshold should be met before a child is subjected to a humiliating and traumatising strip search.

“Moving forward, it is vital that progress continues, with fewer searches carried out, better data recording when they do, and for the improving practice seen in some forces to be emulated across the country – only then will be build a culture of trust between children and the police.”

While the number of strip searches has fallen by an estimated 56 per cent since 2020, her report warns the practice remains widespread across England and Wales, with too many children being subjected to the deeply intrusive and potentially traumatic experience, often without sufficient justification. Dame Rachel’s key findings include:

Persistent racial disparities: Black children were more likely to be strip searched than children of other ethnicities, with Black children now almost eight times more likely to be strip searched than white children and around five times more likely to be searched than Asian children. The Commissioner’s previous 2024 suggested racial disproportionally of strip searches was improving, today’s report suggests a reversal of this trend for black children.

Inconsistent conduct of searches: Where data was recorded, no searches happened in schools, but more than a quarter of search locations were not recorded. Some searches were still conducted in public view, and for some searches there was no appropriate adult present.

Levelling of regional variation: London no longer makes up the largest proportion of strip searches and has seen the biggest decrease in the rate of children being strip searched across all regions. Overall, there is less regional variation between regions than in previous data collections.

Low thresholds and limited outcomes: The vast majority of strip searches (89 per cent) were carried out on the suspicion of drugs possession, yet nearly half of all searches (48 per cent) resulted in no further action, raising concerns about whether the practice is used proportionately.

The report also established there was no relationship between the overall police force area level crime rate and the rate of strip searches of children in that area, as areas with similar rates of crime appeared to have differing practices when it comes to the strip searching of children.

While nearly half of strip searches are leading to safeguarding referrals, at least 16 per cent of searches did not result in a safeguarding referral and in more than a third (35 per cent) of cases, this was not recorded.

The Commissioner believes safeguarding referrals should be made for any child subjected to a strip search, as it indicates a level of concern about their involvement in criminal behaviour that should receive a multi-agency response.

Since the Commissioner started collecting data on strip searching she says there have been improvements in the quality of the data recorded by police forces. In 2018, 83 per cent of data records had at least one of the requested fields missing, this fell to 54 per cent of records in 2024.

The Home Office has now begun to report the use of strip searches, although does not cover repeated searches of children.

The Commissioner is calling for a child-centred approach to policing and the youth justice system, ensuring that every child is safe after contact with the police. In her report Dame Rachel has set out a number of key recommendations, including:

• The Home Office urgently update police codes that govern interactions with children, ensuring that children are only ever strip searched if there is an immediate risk of significant harm and that an appropriate adult is present in all but the most exceptional circumstances.
• The Home Office must work with police to improve data transparency and recording standards across all forces.
• The Home Office should pilot the use of new and alternative technology to reduce the need for invasive strip searches of children, including the use of X-ray body scanners and similar technologies.
• Police forces should urgently review cases where children have been strip searched multiple times to understand missed opportunities, with a mandatory flag for police data recording systems for non-compliant strip searches.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Stop and Search, Deputy Chief Constable Andy Mariner, said: “Since the Children’s Commissioner’s first report, policing has made changes to policy about strip searching and has been working closely with the College of Policing to update Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on stop and search, which is currently out for public consultation.

“The updated APP responds directly to several significant reports and investigations that have identified where policing must do better. It takes a child-centred approach, strengthens safeguarding requirements, and places greater emphasis on the quality of the encounter – including communication, de-escalation, and dignity. It also sets clear expectations on the use of force and the use of handcuffs and is simpler and more practical.

“When a strip search of a vulnerable adult or child takes place, an appropriate adult must be present. This valuable mandatory safeguard allows for people to be searched with the protection of oversight in what is a sometimes necessary, but undoubtedly intrusive, power used in police custody.

“While there are positive signs in that the number of strip searches have been falling over time, we continue to work with policing partners, stakeholders and academics to understand and address the disproportionate use of stop and search, which we understand can undermine trust between policing and communities.

“Minimum standards have been set nationally whereby officers should take into account multiple factors in their decision making, and record them, to ensure the fairness and effectiveness of their actions.

“We are committed to increasing transparency around our use of stop and search, including strip search, which is a legitimate and useful policing tool to help us in removing dangerous weapons and drugs from the streets, but we know that when it is used inappropriately, it can damage our relationships with affected communities.”