Cheshire Police defends strip searching children in custody

A Freedom of Information request to Cheshire Constabulary revealed the number of strip searches that were used against children in custody between 2017 and 2021.

Across the time period, there were 95 cases of children being strip-searched by police in Cheshire.

Almost 100 children were strip searched by Cheshire Police between 2017-2021 (Image: Cheshire Police)

Notably, there were recorded uses of strip searches on children as young as 15, in 2020.

Between 2018 and 2021, there were eight recorded instances of 'exposure of intimate parts' (EIP) searches on under-18s, with four 17-year-olds, three 16-year-olds, and one 15-year-old being subjected to EIP searches in the time frame.

Of the children subjected to the strip searches, six identified as 'white British,' one identified as 'black or black British,' and one did not identify an ethnicity.

In 2017/18 there were 33 strip searches of children, 2018/19 reported 21 searches, 2019/20 had 17 reports, and 2020/21 revealed 24 searches took place.

Of these 95 reports, around eight per cent of the strip searches used on under-18s were EIP searches.

There was outrage in March this year when a 15-year-old black girl was strip searched at her school by the Met (Image: NQ)

This comes after Cheshire Constabulary admitted that black people in the county are far more likely to be subjected to 'stop and search' measures by the police.

Cheshire Police Superintendent Simon Parsonage said: “Any strip searches of under-18s carried out in custody are conducted in accordance with PACE to ensure they are necessary and proportionate, and conducted correctly and ethically. 

“All young people subject to a strip search will have an appropriate adult present, unless there is an immediate risk."

Cheshire Police have said that they scrutinise the use of strip searches in order to ensure they are appropriate (Image: Cheshire Police)

Superintendent Parsonage added: "The adult will be present either in the room or just outside, depending on the wishes of the adult and young person.

"We monitor and scrutinise, under our internal performance processes, any strip searches completed to ensure they are in accordance with guidance.”

A Cheshire Police spokesperson added: "As for EIP [Exposure of Intimate Parts] searches, we follow the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice which states these take place at a nearby police station, custody, or other place out of public view, but not in a police vehicle."

Looking at national statistics, it was revealed that in 2021 alone, around 3,000 under-18s were strip-searched by police officers across the UK.

The Metropolitan Police alone used 650 strip searches of children over a two-year period.