Children subjected to 'intrusive and traumatic' strip searches

Too many children are still being subjected to "intrusive and traumatic" strip searches, the Children's Commissioner has warned.

A report from the office of Dame Rachel de Souza has found while the number of police strip searches of children has fallen by more than half in four years, there remain concerns about the use of force in some cases and persistent disparities in how white and black youths are treated.

Dame Rachel has said there should be a "much higher threshold" before a child is subjected to a "humiliating and traumatising" strip search.

Using data from the first half of 2024, her office estimated a total of 377 strip searches took place that year – down from 854 searches in 2020.

That was the year Child Q, a black teenager, was strip-searched in east London while on her period after police wrongly suspected her of carrying cannabis.

It did not come to light until a safeguarding report was published in March 2022, sparking protests.

The two Metropolitan Police officers involved in searching the 15-year-old were dismissed without notice after a disciplinary panel last summer found they had committed gross misconduct during the "disproportionate" incident.

'Too many still unnecessary'

Dame Rachel said the "promising signs of progress" since then in terms of the number of strip searches and how they are carried out have only masked the fact "that too many are still unnecessary, unsafe and underreported".

She described strip searching as "an intrusive and traumatic experience" that should "only ever be used as a last resort when there is an immediate risk of serious harm".

Her report found some searches between July 2023 and June 2024 were still being carried out in public view (26) and without an appropriate adult present (22).

Three in 10 (30%) involved children who had already been searched at least once before, which the commissioner said risked "significant and repeated damage to their mental wellbeing, their relationship with the police, and showing clear failure to successfully intervene with children".

Black children more likely to be subjected to force

Force, such as handcuffs or firearms and Tasers, was used in almost a fifth (17%) of all stop and searches of children between April 2024 and March 2025, but in 43% of instances where force was used, no further action was taken, raising the question why it was used at all.

Black children were almost five times as likely to have force used during a search than white children.

In cases where force was used against a white child to be searched, officers were more likely to note them as having a mental health need, but for black children the reason identified was more often their size or build, the report said.

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The National Police Chiefs' Council said it understood that the "disproportionate use of stop and search" could "undermine trust between policing and communities".

But it said updates to official guidance on stop and search – including on the use of force and handcuffs – were out for public consultation and would help ensure all officers take a "child-centred approach".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We're introducing extensive safeguards for children and young people for strip searching and bringing in reforms to drive up standards in policing, improve vetting and tackle misconduct."

(c) Sky News 2026: Children subjected to 'intrusive and traumatic' strip searches