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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent

Black children 11 times more likely to be strip-searched in England and Wales than white peers

A protest in Hackney in March 2022 over the case of Child Q
A protest in Hackney in March 2022 over the case of Child Q, who was strip-searched by police. Photograph: Guy Smallman/Getty Images

An official report accuses police of the widespread abuse of their power to strip-search children, with black children 11 times more likely than their white peers to be selected by officers for the ordeal.

Data collected by the children’s commissioner found there were at least 2,847 recorded strip-searches of children pre-arrest across England and Wales between 2018 and 2022 under stop and search powers.

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