Body Searches: Children and Young People
Commons · Question 14876 · Tabled 1 Jul 2026 · Home Office · Official record
Answered 9 Jul 2026
Question
Asked by Cat Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider the potential merits of requiring police forces to have custody healthcare practitioners conduct child strip searches rather than police officers.
Answer
Answered by Sarah Jones, 9 Jul 2026
The Government welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Police powers and children - strip searching and use of force, and takes its recommendations seriously.Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use must ...