FOI 117/25
RESPONSE
Can you please provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
- Statistics and information on the location a child was strip searched (for example, at a station, at home, in schools, etc).
- Provide a copy of your policy in relation to the location of strip searching of children under stop and search, and any recent changes that have been made.
- How many strip searches of children, under stop and search, have been carried out in the last 5 years
Clarification – Regarding question 1, a time frame of the last 5 years would be helpful.
RESPONSE
Please be advised, where you have stated ‘children’, we have taken this to mean persons under the age of 18.
Questions 1 & 3
We have consulted with our analysts who have provided us with the information.
Between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2024, there were 126 stop and searches on children under the age of 18 where ‘Yes – full strip’ or ‘Yes – partial strip’ has been selected under the ‘More Than Outer Clothing Removed’ field.
Please see the attached document entitled ‘Response Data 117_25’ that provides the information to answer your request.
Please be advised, where ‘Public street’ or ‘Street location’ is recorded as the search location, each of these occurrences have been individually interrogated. Whilst the address is recorded as a street address, within each stop search report, it is recorded that the child was not searched in public view.
Please also be advised that where ‘Not recorded’ is shown within the attached table, this does not necessarily mean that the location is not recorded. This means that the requested location types, ‘home address’, ‘police station’, etc. are not recorded and we are not obliged to create information in order to answer a request.
The results retrieved are dependent on how the information has been entered onto the system. As such, the information provided should not be considered statistically accurate and/or definitive and therefore, care should be taken when using this data for any further statistical, analytical or evaluative purposes.
Question 2
We have consulted with our Stop and Search Lead who has provided us with the following information to answer this part of your request.
South Wales Police does not hold a specific policy around the location of strip searching of children; however, we hold a ‘Stop and Search’ policy
Within our ‘Stop and Search’ policy the following is stated in relation to the search location:
“When strip searches are conducted, the search shall take place in an area where the detainee cannot be seen by anyone who does not need to be present, nor by a member of the opposite sex except an appropriate adult who has been specifically requested by the detainee.”
The use of stop and search powers is a valuable tool in the prevention and detection of crime, reducing the number of arrests that would be made by allaying or confirming suspicions and if used sensitively, is likely to increase community confidence in the police and make a positive contribution to reducing the fear of crime.
All stops and searches are conducted in accordance with Police and Criminal Evidence Act1984 and South Wales police has robust scrutiny process in place to ensure that the use of the stop search power is conducted in the most professional and appropriate circumstances.
South Wales Police will continue to monitor each stop and search and are aware of the sensitive nature around the use of this power.
|
Search Location |
Count |
|
Address of search |
2 |
|
All in a private dwelling in the presence of mother |
1 |
|
BLANK |
1 |
|
Community centre |
1 |
|
Conference room of school |
3 |
|
Disabled toilet at search address |
1 |
|
Grandmother's address |
1 |
|
Home address |
20 |
|
Home address of subject |
3 |
|
Hostel |
1 |
|
Mother's home address |
2 |
|
N/A |
1 |
|
Not recorded |
6 |
|
Not stated |
1 |
|
Only out of public view recorded |
1 |
|
Police station |
63 |
|
Police station custody |
10 |
|
Private dwelling |
1 |
|
Public street |
3 |
|
Recorded as street location, not able to identify any alternate addresses |
1 |
|
Residential address |
2 |
|
Street location |
1 |
|
Total |
126 |