Bedfordshire Police carried out nearly 20 strip searches of under 18s over the last two years, and all were compliant with the legislation the PCC was told.
The case of Child Q, a 15-year-old girl who was strip-searched by Metropolitan police officers at her school, was mentioned at last week’s (31 March) Delivery and Beating Crime meeting.
This is a regular public meeting where Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner, Festus Akinbusoye, is updated by the force’s executive on how the county is being policed.
The PCC said a member of the public had asked him about the use of strip searches by the force.
Chief Inspector Rachael Glendenning, staff officer to the chief constable, said there had been 18 searches of people aged 17 or under in the last two years.
On each occasion, this was after the person was stopped under Section One of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE 1984), and most searches had taken place after the person was taken into custody.
“But there have been a few occasions where they have been taken to their home addresses, where they are then accessible to their appropriate adults.
“Out of those searches, the majority of them have been done to those between the ages of 14 and 17, and there were 17 males and one female that were searched.
“The majority [of searches] were done within police premises,” she said.
The PCC sought some clarification on the numbers and locations.
“So there was a private space when those have been done, and in all those cases where under 18s were strip-searched, there was an appropriate adult present,” he asked.
CI Glendenning confirmed this was the case.
The PCC said: “Then we can safely say that at all of our officers when they carried out a strip search of someone under the age of 18 they’d been fully compliant with the legislation.
“Have there been any complaints, that you’re aware of, about strip-searching,” he asked.
CI Glendenning replied: “No, our tactical lead, superintendent Ian Taylor, will look at any complaints that relate to Section Ones.
“He came back to me while we’ve been in this meeting to say that there had been no recorded complaints in relation to strip searches, that we’re aware of,” she said.
Section 1 of PACE provides the police with the power to stop and search a person or vehicle where they have reasonable grounds to suspect that they will find prohibited items.
This includes offensive weapons such as knives, stolen articles, equipment related to the commission of certain offences and fireworks.
A strip search is a search where more than an outer coat, jacket, gloves, headgear or footwear is removed.
The searches of people under 18 should take place with an appropriate adult present (unless the child does not want them to be).
An appropriate adult is not required to be present is in cases of urgency, where there is a risk of harm to the detainee or to others.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
